'Cover The Entire Ground': Gavaskar Slams Cricket South Africa Over Rain-Affected T20I Match
SA vs IND 1st T20I was abandoned due to rain (Twitter)
Former Indian cricketer, Sunil Gavaskar expressed his disappointment with the South Africa cricket board following the cancellation of India's first T20I match against South Africa in Durban on Sunday, December 10.
The match was abandoned due to continuous rain and wet conditions, with the umpires calling it off after a two-hour delay.
Gavaskar criticizes South Africa cricket board over rain-Hit T20I
While speaking on Star Sports, Gavaskar criticized the board for not fully covering the ground, which he believed could have allowed the game to proceed if the rain had ceased. He highlighted the financial capabilities of cricket boards, insisting that they have sufficient funds to invest in complete ground covers.
"If the ground remains uncovered and the rain stops, you know it doesn't start for another one hour. Suddenly it rains again. So there's no play whatsoever. Everybody (cricket boards) is getting a lot of money. Let's make no mistake. All the cricket boards have got plenty of money. If they say they don't, they are lying. They might not have as much money as the BCCI. Fair enough. But every board has got money to buy these covers to cover the entire ground," said Gavaskar.
Drawing from the World Cup 2019 experience, Gavaskar noted that several teams lost points due to matches not starting on time because of wet outfields, despite the rain stopping. He recalled an instance involving South Africa where a match was affected under similar circumstances.
"So many World Cup matches in England (2019) did not take place because the ground was not covered. The rain had stopped, but the rest of the ground was, you know, wet. So a lot of teams lost points. South Africa. I remember that they wanted to play against some team and the match didn't take place or something had happened, mainly because the outfield was wet," added the renowned commentator.
The 74-year-old went on to laud the proactive measures taken by Eden Gardens under the leadership of Sourav Ganguly. He mentioned a specific incident where a match at Eden Gardens was delayed due to ground issues. Following that, Ganguly ensured the entire ground was covered for subsequent games, setting an example for other cricket boards to follow.
"What the boards need to do now is to cover the entire ground. Let's have no excuse. I remember I think there was one Test match at Eden Gardens called where there was some problem at the game didn't start. Next game, Eden Gardens had the entire ground covered of. That is the kind of initiative that you want to have. Sourav Ganguly was the man in charge and he made sure that nobody could point the finger at Eden Gardens," concluded Gavaskar.
The second T20I between India and South Africa will be played on Tuesday, December 12 at St George’s Park in Gqeberha.
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