Durban: Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar did not mince his words in his assessment of South Africa’s handling of a rain-soaked first T20 International in Durban on Sunday, December 10. Scheduled to be held at Kingsmead Stadium, the match suffered a series of delays before it was eventually called off by the authorities, much to the dismay of those who had applied for seats.
Speaking to Star Sports, Gavaskar claimed that Cricket South Africa, like all other cricket boards, was getting enough money to arrange necessary equipment to prevent the pitch from getting waterlogged.
“If the ground stays bare and the rain stops, you know it won’t start for another hour. And suddenly it’s raining again. So there’s no playing at all. Everyone (the boards) get a lot of money. Let’s make no mistake. All the cricket boards have a lot of money.” Money. And if they say they don’t, they are lying. They may not have as much money as BCCI. Fair enough. But every board has money to buy these covers to cover the entire ground,” Gavaskar lamented.
With the first match canceled without a ball being bowled, India will now face South Africa in the second of the three T20Is at St George’s Park Cricket Ground in Jabrha.