“Cricket boards have got plenty of money,” Sunil Gavaskar slams Cricket South Africa, claims they lied about not having money after 1st T20I gets washed out 

Sunil Gavaskar claimed that Cricket South Africa is lying about the money they had. He took the example of the 2019 ODI World Cup, where many group stage fixtures were washed out because the entire grounds were not covered.

“Cricket boards have got plenty of money,” Sunil Gavaskar slams Cricket South Africa, claims they lied about not having money after 1st T20I gets washed out 

Sunil Gavaskar said the CSA are lying about the money they had (Images via ESPN)

India and South Africa were supposed to kick-off the T20I series on the afternoon of 10th December. Even before the start of the match, it was raining heavily and the covers were on. It kept raining until the game was called off at 6pm local time. Even though the rain was the main cause for the game getting abandoned, Sunil Gavaskar heavily criticized Cricket South Africa for not covering the entire ground. 

During the coverage of the game, the former Indian captain bashed CSA for not covering the entire ground despite the rain. He further added that the CSA has a lot of money, and if they claim they don’t, they’re lying. He said to ensure games start quickly, boards need to invest in full ground covers. 

YouTube video
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
Sunil Gavaskar to Star Sports

He took the example of the 2019 ODI World Cup, where many group stage fixtures were washed out because the entire grounds were not covered. India’s semi-final clash with New Zealand was also played on the reserve day due to the rain and wet outfield.   

BCCI not interested in hosting pink ball tests 

Day/Night Tests is a new phenomenon which has taken over the world of cricket. In an attempt to get more fans to watch more Test cricket, boards organize at least one D/N Test per series. But now it looks like the BCCI will stop hosting D/N Tests. 

Pink Ball
The SG Pink Test Ball was last used in March 2022 (Image via BCCI)

India hosted its first D/N Test in 2019, hosting Bangladesh in the Eden Gardens. Since then they hosted only two more D/N Tests, hosting England in 2021 in the Narendra Modi Stadium and Sri Lanka in the Chinnaswamy Stadium in 2022. All of these matches finished in under 3 days, with the fixture with England finishing on the 2nd day. 

Jay Shah, the BCCI Secretary, claims the BCCI will stop hosting D/N matches because they finish in 2-3 days and want Tests to last for 4-5 days. India will host a Test series in January 2024, where they will play England in a 5-match Test series. After that, India will host Bangladesh in September 2024 and New Zealand after them. 

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