Cricket Australia will ask the SCG Trust for a please explain after NSW’s Sheffield Shield clash with Victoria was abandoned due to a dangerous playing surface on Sunday.

It is understood there is anger from the top of the governing body about the questionable SCG surface which prompted the match referee’s decision to call off the four-day game midway through day three.

Just eight weeks out from the New Year’s Test between Australia and West Indies at the SCG, questions are being asked as to why the surface was deemed unsafe despite no rain during the day or overnight.

• Australia completes crushing first Test win
• Lyon out to cause havoc on day five of first Test
• Head knocks pushed Chris Rogers to retirement

The SCG Trust defended the playing surface, describing it as safe, and slammed the decision to pull the plug on the game.

It was yet another black eye for the game after last week New Zealand’s tour match at Sydney’s Blacktown International Sportspark was abandoned after just four sessions due to concerns about the pitch.

Cricket Australia will launch a review into the match and the state of the field before determining how the points will be decided.

After the game was heavily delayed over the first two days because of rain and concerns about patches of the infield, the bowlers’ run up and around the centre wicket area, the match referees finally called the game off following an inspection at midday on Sunday.

Just 34.2 overs of play had been possible.

The game ended with NSW 1-88 in their first innings with Ed Cowan (48) and Kurtis Patterson (29) not out.

The SCG Trust cited recent rain as the reason many players were unable to maintain their footing while fielding.

At Randwick near the SCG, there had been 58.6mm of rain over the last week but just 1mm in the 24 hours to 9am Sunday.

“Before play this morning, the ground was in the best condition that it had been all match,” SCG curator Tom Parker said.

“Given that there was no rain overnight, it was absolutely ready to host a match today.”

While the SCG Trust criticised the decision to call off the game, the surface had been panned by both teams the day earlier.

Bushrangers coach David Saker described it as “dangerous” and not up to first class standards while NSW opener Cowan said: “the facilities aren’t up to what you’d expect at a Test venue.”

The flashpoint came late on day two when four Bushrangers fielders slipped over within the space of eight balls.

The most serious, when Aaron Finch dug into the turf, jarring his knee, prompted the umpires to call off the day’s play.

“There were areas where the ground was moving. There’s a lot of bare areas there. Even where it was turfed, the last two balls before the game was suspended yesterday when Rob Quiney went down and then (Aaron Finch) went down a ball later,” match referee Steve Bernard said.

“Both of them had skidded where there was turf, they still lost their footing and I went out and inspected the divots they had taken out which were a metre long.”

NSW is due to host Tasmania in a Shield game at the SCG, starting Saturday.