Rain puts spanner in works for SA

SOUTH Africa’s only chance to adjust to New Zealand pitches under match conditions was lost yesterday when their warm-up game in Auckland was washed out.

Rain forced the T20 fixture against a New Zealand XI‚ which was to be played at Eden Park Outer Oval‚ the main ground’s B field‚ to be called off at the scheduled start time.

The weather could also endanger Friday’s T20 international at Eden Park – the forecast is for rain until Saturday.

South Africa’s team management might need the time off to rejig their travel plans‚ what with the fourth one-day international on March 1 having been moved 300km across New Zealand’s north island from Napier to Hamilton.

South Africa have beaten India and New Zealand in ODIs in Hamilton‚ won a T20 against the Kiwis there‚ and clinched a Test series at the ground in 2012.

A New Zealand Cricket release yesterday said an investigation into the abandonment of an ODI between New Zealand and Australia at Napier’s McLean Park on February 2 “highlighted a need for urgent remedial work on the venue’s turf‚ drainage‚ and irrigation system”.

Napier’s city council have already committed to a “$900 000 upgrade of McLean Park‚ with planning to start immediately on installing a complete replacement of the playing surface‚ drainage and irrigation system‚ on top of an existing commitment to build drop-in pitches‚ i mprove the lighting‚ and build practice facilities on site”.

That kind of money – almost R8.6-million – will make SA’s administrators take notice.

When the Test between SAand New Zealand at Kingsmead in August was bedevilled by rain‚ KwaZulu-Natal Cricket Union said they couldn’t afford the R400 000 that would pay for covers to protect the entire playing area. — TMG