New Zealand cancel warm-up because of extreme heat in Australia

New Zealand have cancelled the opening day of their two-day warm-up match against Cricket Victoria because of extreme heat forecast in Australia.

Tuesday and Wednesday brought record average temperatures, reaching 41.9C (107.4F), while bushfires continued to rage in New South Wales.

The heat is expected to rise again on Friday with a peak of 45C in Melbourne.

Coach Gary Stead says New Zealand will spend Friday resting before playing in a one-day match on Sunday.

"The squad will train at the MCG on Saturday morning in much cooler conditions before batting first in a full-day match against the Victoria XI on Sunday," he added.

New Zealand, who face Australia in the second Test on Boxing Day, lost the first of the three-match series in Perth by 296 runs.

Source: BBC News

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