Tasmania’s proposed new waterfront stadium, which is a condition of its team’s entry into the AFL, has hit a major hurdle as cricket authorities say their sport cannot be played there due to design concerns. Cricket Australia and Cricket Tasmania have written to the Tasmanian government, declaring the 23,000-seat Macquarie Point stadium will need to have either its roof redesigned or be removed completely because of the impact of shadows over the centre wicket cast by the roof’s supporting structure. In the letter, co-signed by recently departed Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley and Cricket Tasmania chief executive Dominic Baker, “significant concerns” were raised about “the impact of the shadows cast from the roof structure on the field of play, particularly on the cricket pitch block throughout the day, and ultimately the implications for what forms of cricket the stadium could and could not support”. “While we appreciate the recent efforts of the project team to explore mitigation options for shadows, we are of the view that they are either unworkable, in that they do not eliminate the shadows or they are temporary in nature, introducing significant potential problems relating to playing conditions, venue operations and broadcast quality,” the letter reads.