"Even if there's nothing to see it would be prudent for cricket authorities to revisit that and make sure they are comfortable with making those recommendations.

"Although the current issue relates to Australian cricketers, more regard should be given to this issue for when our players compete in parts of the world such as the subcontinent, which are known to have very high spikes of hazardous air quality."

CA works with the Australian Institute of Sport, the International Cricket Council and state governments for guidelines to match officials though each organisation has different levels considered as hazardous.

Air quality assessments are now part of the medical briefing conducted before games in NSW because of the bushfires.

The air quality index reading on the final day of the Sheffield Shield match between NSW and Queensland, which was played in thick smoke, was 170 – which is in the "unhealthy" range for the ICC.

Players said the conditions were "worse than India" with spinner Steve O'Keefe likening it to smoking 80 cigarettes a day.

Under ICC guidelines, match officials consider suspending play when the air quality index reading nears 300. Air quality is considered "hazardous" at 300.

Doctors are also consulted, as was the case during the NSW-Queensland Shield game, while the impact on visibility is also considered.

The Big Bash League match between Sydney Thunder and Adelaide Strikers was called off on Saturday night after umpires deemed the smoke which had enveloped Manuka Oval in Canberra had impacted on visibility.

Veteran paceman Peter Siddle was one of at least two players who asked for medical treatment after the game. He compared the conditions to sitting "next to a camp fire".

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Sydney has been shrouded in smoke for much of the past few weeks, prompting fears it may impact the New Year's Test starting Friday week. Match officials are urged to be "vigilant" once pollution levels reach the "very unhealthy" stage, and can suspend play or abandon play for the day.

"We hope not but potentially. What we've seen in Sydney and Canberra the other night, it does get to a point where it becomes a challenge," CA's cricket operations manager Peter Roach said.

"The rules are in place, like rain, to add time, suspend play. We're finding also it comes in quick but it can also go quick.

"It's unlikely, we believe, it will be there for a full day. We might see some challenges across that day but we'll play it like rain or adverse weather that time can be added on any given day and hopefully we get a really good Test match.

"Hopefully we don't see it. What we've seen is one day in 10 on average is proving a challenge. We hope that doesn't come in a Test match, but we also understand that it might.

"This hasn't been a challenge for Australian cricket in the past, and probably for most countries in the world.

"But the ICC do have some guidelines on this that they refer to. But again, much like us, they look back on what is the visibility impact, what are the doctors saying at the ground to determine their decision making."