Table of Contents
Former Indian captain and cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has voiced his disappointment over the washout of the 1st T20I between South Africa and India due to persistent rain in Durban on Sunday, December 10.
The match, scheduled to be held at Kingsmead, was abandoned without a toss as persistent rain left the pitch conditions wet. The on-field umpires waited for two hours past the scheduled toss time before deciding to call off the game due to the unfavourable conditions.
Sunil Gavaskar criticizes Cricket South Africa
In his conversation with Star Sports, Gavaskar strongly criticized Cricket South Africa (CSA), emphasizing that the entire cricket ground should have been covered. He expressed the view that every cricket board has sufficient funds to invest in covers, preventing the pitch from becoming wet.
“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,” Gavaskar said.
“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,” the 74-year-old added.
Also READ: 3 South African players poised for lucrative deals in the upcoming IPL 2024 Auction
Learning from Eden Gardens and Sourav Ganguly’s leadership
Using Eden Gardens as an example, Gavaskar highlighted the comprehensive ground coverage undertaken to protect against rain. He credited the initiatives at Eden Gardens to the leadership of Sourav Ganguly and urged the cricketing world to follow suit in ensuring that pitches are adequately shielded from inclement weather.
“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,” the Mumbaikar concluded.
The second encounter between India and South Africa is scheduled for Tuesday (December 12) in Gqeberha.
