SA coach, manager inspect Wankhede pitch

South African coach Graham Ford and manager Goolam Rajah made a visit to the Wankhede stadium on Sunday and inspected the preparation of the pitch and ground for the first Test against India to be played from February 24. The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) officials made all arrangements to bring them to the ground from the Cricket Club of India (CCI) where the match between Board President's XI and the South African team is being played.

In fact, the South African captain Hansie Cronje too was keen to inspect the pitch, but since his side was on the field in the afternoon, he was not in a position to make the trip.

"The wicket seems to be pretty good," remarked Goolam Rajah. The manager and coach of the visiting side had brought their 22-year-old right-hand batsman Hendrik Dippenaar with them to the ground. The trio had a good look at the outfield too. On enquiring whether any suggestions/instructions were given to the curator Nadim Memon, Rajah answered in the negative. "The right of preparation of the wicket lies with the host nation and we don't want to interfere in the matter". Nadim Memon is a maidan secretary of the MCA and is the stadium in charge.

The organisers of the first Test expect a good crowd for the Test match. The sale of season tickets commenced from today. According to the MCA joint secretary Pravin Barve, once the Indian team for the Test is made known to the public, the sale of the tickets will be quicker. "The South African players also have always been crowd-pullers,'' Barve added.