Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar lashed out at Cricket South Africa as the first T20I between India and South Africa got abandoned due to rain, without the toss on Sunday, December 10 at the Kingsmead in Durban. He expressed that the cricket boards all over the world earn enough to cover the grounds during rain.
The first of the three-match T20I series between India and South Africa was marred by rain. The Kingsmead was not adequately equipped to fully cover the ground. Sunil Gavaskar criticised the facilities on the ground in the event of rain. He expressed that the boards need to ensure that the ground is fully covered. Gavaskar said on Star Sports,
“If the ground remains uncovered and the rain stops, you know it doesn’t start for another hour. Suddenly it rains again. So there’s no play whatsoever. Everybody 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.”
Hen then pointed out how several matches in England during the 2019 ODI World Cup were impacted due to weather. As many as four matches were washed out due to rain during the 2019 ODI showpiece.
A lot of teams lost points: Sunil Gavaskar on rain-spoiling matches in the 2019 World Cup
Former cricketer Sunil Gavaskar further also pointed out how several matches of the 2019 ODI World Cup in England were spoiled due to the weather. The tournament witnessed four washed-out matches. Gavaskar also recalled how Eden Gardens has addressed the issue by covering the whole ground.
“So many World Cup matches in England did not occur 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,” Gavaskar said.
“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 where there was some problem and the game didn’t start. Next game, Eden Gardens had the entire ground covered. 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,” he added.
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