Perth Stadium make biggest food donation after two-day Ashes test

While England’s quick collapse in the first Ashes test deprived cricket fans of hours of live action, for many Western Australians it proved to be a boon, after the Perth Stadium donated hundreds of kilos of surplus food to people in need.

The match ended in two days, the shortest Ashes test by overs bowled to deliver a result since 1888, allowing the stadium to donate food to schools, charities and women’s refuges, Western Australia’s Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti wrote on Instagram.

“When it became clear the match would wrap up early, the Optus Stadium team moved quickly to minimise waste,” Saffioti wrote.

“From stacked pallets of fruit and veg, to sandwiches, dairy and bread – even 450kg of tomatoes now being turned into passata – this is community spirit at its best.”

More than 51,000 spectators had attended the opening day of the series, 20 pallets of fruit and vegetables, four pallets of sandwiches and salads, two pallets of bread and four pallets of milk and dairy, totalling hundreds of kilos, were donated to OZHarvest after the match, making it the single biggest single donation ever received in Western Australia.

“Every effort has been made to maximise food recovery,” Mike McKenna, Optus Stadium’s chief executive, said. “Our chefs are busy turning about 450kg of sliced tomatoes into passata, some of the excess milk will become white sauce and lemon wedges preserved for future use. Being able to support those in need is really a silver lining for the stadium team.”

WA’s deputy premier, Rita Saffioti, said the move was “community spirit at its best”, adding that the redistribution of the supplies would aid charities, schools, women’s refuges and individuals in need across Perth.

England’s capitulation on the second day, following a ten-wicket haul for Mitchell Starc and a stunning 69-ball hundred from Travis Head, left Cricket Australia with a $4 million shortfall for the Test, even allowing for the cost savings in not having to open the stadium for the final three days.

The England squad left Perth on Wednesday. The majority of the squad is heading direct to Brisbane – the venue for the day-night second Test on December 4 – while three players, Josh Tongue, Jacob Bethell and Matthew Potts, have been drafted into the Lions’ day-night fixture against Australia A in Canberra, starting on Friday.