Lightning halts play at Brisbane ~ disaster-chasers - who !?!?

The T20I match between India and Australia at Brisbane was abandoned and India won the T2o Series ! 

Interruptions in a Cricket match can arise due to host of reasons – ranging from – wet spots, bees swarming, ball getting out of shape, players injury, rain, bad light, ....  spectator running into the file (streaking included !) – and animal invasion too  .. at Chepauk – have seen dogs running helter-skelter – entire stadium would laugh when the marker could not catch the stray dog – with play suspended briefly.  

At Sialkot, October 31 – Dilip Vengsarkar was unbeaten on 94 and India 210/3 when match was abandoned following news of the assasination of India's Prime Minister. The Series was also stopped at that point ! 

Lightning is the transient passage of electrical current between a cloud and either the surface of the earth, or another cloud, etc.  Lightning is one of the most beautiful displays in nature. It is also one of the most deadly natural phenomena known to man. With bolt temperatures hotter than the surface of the sun and shockwaves beaming out in all directions, lightning is a lesson in physical science and humility.  It is common knowledge that lightning is generated in electrically charged storm systems, but the method of cloud charging still remains elusive. 

In Insurance parlance in India , Lightning is a peril and cause loss or damage. The  Standard Fire & Special Perils policy ~ a named Perils policy has ‘lightning’ included in the listed perils and hence loss or damage caused  by lightning is indemnifiable.

 

Today ‘lightning’ stopped play at Brisbane – in fact it was more of a Weather warning that halted play – later rains ensured that game could not be resumed.  Lightning in the vicinity of the ground initially forced the players off after India made the most of shocking fielding by Australia to race to 0-52 in the opening 4.5 overs. A storm then rolled in from Brisbane's west, accompanied by steady rain, to ensure there was no further play. 

A couple of streaks of  lightning flashing the skies around the Gabba – Umpires signaled halt and  the players were sent back  from the middle.  Then the giant electronic  scoreboard   now lit up with a severe weather warning; the fans in the lower stands were  cleared as a precaution.  Those who had protection remained, so did the players in the pavilion.

 

            After being sent in to bat, there had been intrigue over how India's top-order would fare on a Gabba surface with plenty of bounce and carry. But with their nemesis Josh Hazlewood in Ashes prep mode and again not in the line-up, Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill plundered 52 runs before play came to a halt after 4.5 overs. Abhishek did have luck having been dropped twice, but Gill was in sweet touch as he smacked 29 off 16 balls. The series ended the same way it began after rain ruined the opening T20I in Canberra.   

Way back in Dec 1977 India captained by Bishan Singh Bedi  played their 1st test of the Series at Brisbane.  The series was  overshadowed by the arrival of Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket (WSC), unleashed on the world six months earlier, which left the home side fielding a virtual third XI under Bob Simpson,  a 41-year-old who had retired from the game in 1968, and was  hauled out of retirement to lead the side.  In that test there were 6 debutants : David O Gilvie, Paul Hibbert, Peter Toohey, Steve Rixon (wicket keeper), Tony Mann and Wayne Clark. 

 The Brisbane Cricket Ground is located in the suburb of Woolloongabba has been Australia’s favourite hunting ground. In  1975, England and West Indies were subject to a fierce spell of fast bowling from Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thompson.   West Indies team  last defeated Australia at this venue in 1988. England has never won a Test in Brisbane since 1986 when Ian Botham hit a century 

Brisbane   is the capital and largest city of the state of Queensland and the third-most populous city in Australia.   The central business district is situated within a peninsula of the Brisbane River about 15 km (9 mi) from its mouth at Moreton Bay. The Moreton Bay penal settlement was founded in 1824 at Redcliffe as a place for secondary offenders from the Sydney colony, but in May 1825 moved to North Quay on the banks of the Brisbane River, so named for the Governor of New South Wales Sir Thomas Brisbane.  

Moving away from Cricket to some Insurance – and claims !!  - recently in Oct 26, giant hail smashed cars and homes across south-east Queensland, prompting a warning for residents to be aware of "disaster chasers" as the clean-up begins.  Intrigued on who ‘disaster-chasers’ are ?  - read on.

 

According to the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA), more than 19,300 insurance claims have been made following the severe thunderstorm that hit Brisbane and its surrounds on Sunday, October 26. Another 3,880 claims have been made following consecutive storms from October 31 to November 2, which brought hail of up to 8 centimetres to some areas. The ICA is urging residents to be on alert for opportunistic individuals who offer quick-fix clean-up, repairs, and inspections, and often demand up-front cash payments for shoddy or incomplete work. ICA's mitigation and extreme weather response director   said some "disaster chasers" pressure home owners to sign a contract on the spot for future repair work and may promise their insurer will pay. 

Mr Walter said it could leave the home owner liable to pay a commission or inflated repair bills not covered by their insurance policy, as insurers will only pay for approved work that is covered by a policy.  Julie Maron is a senior lawyer with Legal Aid Queensland's disaster help service  said people had unwittingly signed contracts after being approached by someone offering to help manage their insurance claims, and it had "gone horribly wrong". "They'll knock on the doors of all the houses up and down the street and talk people into signing a contract," Ms Maron said. She said companies also used social media to advertise their services and put up posters in suburbs that had been impacted.   

Ms Maron said she had seen cases where a company had offered to manage someone's insurance claim and the same, or a related company, had been engaged to do the repairs. "They're charging people huge amounts of money, out of a limited sum of money that you're getting for your insurance claim, to do things that can and should be done for free," Ms Maron said.

Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) chief executive and commissioner Angelo Lambrinos said home owners should be asking contractors who turn up for their licence. He said people could also search the QBCC licence register to see whether the contractor had a clear record, their qualifications and whether any disciplinary action had been taken against them.  The Office of Fair Trading advised people -  it was important to ensure the signed contract articulated the scope of work that needed to be completed and all parties were clear on their rights and obligations under the contract. 

The ICA said an insurer would not send a tradesperson or builder to a home without notifying the owner and providing details. It advises people to speak to their insurer before agreeing to any repairs or rebuilding work to make sure they will cover the work. The Office of Fair Trading states that if the contract is worth more than $100, the home owner is entitled to a 10-day cooling-off period.   

In the last  few decades, there have been so many Storms, floods, Earthquake and other disasters – Indian Insurers have handled the spate of claims well, setting up special units and making speedier settlements.

 
Regards – S Sampathkumar
8.11.2025