Shane Watson scored the first century of the Big Bash League season before a power cut forced the abandonment of Sydney Thunder's match at Brisbane Heat on Thursday.

Watson reached his hundred off 62 deliveries as the Thunder posted 186-4 at the Gabba, surpassing the previous high score for the season set by D'Arcy Short (96) of the Hobart Hurricanes on Monday.

But his efforts counted for nothing after a power cut in the area affected some of the stadium's floodlights.

Fans attempted to light up the pitch with their smartphones as the players patiently awaited a resolution to the problem.

But the decision was eventually taken to call off the fixture, with the Heat three overs into their run chase at 10-2, following the dismissals of Brendon McCullum (2) and Chris Lynn (4).