Cape Town misses out on India fixtures
- October 30, 2013, 6:34 pm
- Sports News
- 119 Views
CAPE TOWN Oct 30 (Online): Johannesburg and Durban will host India for an ODI and a Test each in December, while Centurion will also stage a one-dayer. Cape Town has not received a single fixture in the itinerary for the three ODIs and two Tests, which the BCCI and Cricket South Africa announced today, ending months of uncertainty over India's tour to South Africa.
India will arrive in South Africa on December 2 and play the first ODI at the Wanderers on December 5. They will play a two-day game in Benoni after the one-dayers as a warm-up to the first Test, which begins on December 18, also at the Wanderers.
"After the completion of our two Test matches against India we will have a further three Tests against Australia," CSA president Chris Nenzani said. "This will allow all of our five premier Test match venues to host a five-day match. I would also like to assure all our stakeholders that we are working on plans to fill the gaps in our international itinerary for the 2013-14 season."
His remarks referred primarily to Cape Town missing out on a Test - Newlands traditionally hosts the traditional New Year's Test, which has now been scrapped. A CSA spokesman said: "Because of the truncated nature of the tour it was necessary to centralise venues as much as possible. We are working on alternative plans to fill the gaps in our home international summer. This will not necessarily be at the New Year."
However, the decision seemed to have caught Western Province, the region where Cape Town is located."To go from having Sachin Tendulkar's 200th test to nothing is a big shock to us," Andre Odendaal, CEO of Western Province, said. "We lose several million [rand] in revenue."
