Power outage ruins Gabba BBL clash

A power failure in Brisbane's east has seen the KFC Big Bash clash between Brisbane Heat and Sydney Thunder abandoned midway through the second innings at the Gabba.

After the Thunder knocked up 4-186 off the back of Shane Watson's even 100, the first ton of BBL08, the Heat were reeling at 2-10 following the wickets of Brendon McCullum (0) and Chris Lynn (4).

It was at that point, at the conclusion of the third over, that two floodlights and a number of overhead lights surrounding one half of the ground went out.

"There has been a power outage occur which has interrupted play," a Cricket Australia spokesperson said. "This is being looked into as a priority. Further updates will be provided in due course."

The outage was part of a wider problem, affecting the entire east Brisbane area and leaving the prospect of further play in serious doubt.

Thunder skipper Watson and coach Shane Bond were in animated discussion with umpires during the delay, as officials were left scratching their heads and awaiting further updates from electricity company Energex.

The match was officially called after 9pm local time, with two teams awarded one point each. It represents a major blow for the Thunder, who had looked in the box seat to record their fifth win of the tournament.

Fans had attempted to alleviate the problem by collectively shining the torches on their phones towards the middle.

Bond expressed his frustration with the interruption, revealing the visitors had offered to continue playing but only bowl spin in the interests of safety.

“We think it’s safe enough to play,” Bond told Fox Cricket during the delay.

“We said we'd bowl our spinners because we want a game of cricket - obviously we're in a stronger position (than the Heat).

“The umpires have said … we think it's unsafe.”