India tour game in Chatsworth abandoned

India's three-day match against a South African President's XI at the Chatsworth Oval was officially abandoned on Tuesday morning, throwing the tourists' preparations for the first Test against South Africa which starts in Bloemfontein on Saturday into disarray.

After another inspection of the outfield on Tuesday it was eventually decided that the soggy outfield would not dry sufficiently and the fixture was officially called off.

The irony is that for the past three days the sun has shone in Durban and there has been little, if any, overnight rain. Club matches in and around Durban took place on Sunday, but because of the poor drainage network at Chatsworth, no play was possible even on Tuesday.

Simply put the facilities at Chatsworth are up to first-class standard. Blame for the fiasco has been tossed around freely, but umpire Wilf Diedricks made a telling point when he said: "There is clearly a drainage problem, but it would help if they cut the outfield every now and then. The grass is just too thick and it soaks up water like a sponge."

Efforts to have the match shifted to another ground proved futile. The most obvious alternate venue in Durban, Kingsmead, is unavailable because the pitch is being prepared for a provincial match at the weekend.

The Indians, therefore, have been left to fit in what training they can ahead of the first Test. They are unable to travel to Bloemfontein ahead of schedule because no flights are available and in any case, net facilities at Goodyear Park will only be ready on Thursday.

The allocation of this fixture to Chatsworth was a sop to the community who, earlier in the year, threatened protest marches and formed action committees when it became apparent that no World Cup fixture was going to be played at the ground. In view of what has now happened, the World Cup organisers may well heave a sigh of relief.

It is also apparent, however, that the practice of asking touring sides to play tour matches at unsatisfactory venues must be revisited by the United Cricket Board. Last year New Zealand had to play a one-day in Alice on a pitch that, in all honesty, was not fit for a junior school game.

India now have to pick a Test side which almost certainly include players who have not had a serious bat or bowl in South African conditions. The only consolation for the tourists, for what it's worth, is that the majority of the South African Test team will not have played first-class cricket since the second Test in Bulawayo in mid-September.