South Africa tour game to be played at Palam ground in Delhi

South Africa will play their T20 warm-up tie against a Delhi XI at the at Palam ground in Delhi on September 29. The match was earlier scheduled to take place at Ferozeshah Kotla, but Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA) recently expressed its inability to host this game due to ‘internal politics’. Thus, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to shit the game out of DDCA’s jurisdiction. Talking to ESPNCricinfo a BCCI official said that the Kotla pitch could not have been one of the reasons as the ground was fit to host a match. “They are saying that the ground is not read. We have spoken to the curator at DDCA and he confirmed the ground was in fantastic condition. Nobody talks about Kotla, which has really transformed. It hosted one of the best matches last domestic season – the Duleep Trophy final between Central and South Zone.” READ: South Africa tour game to shift out of Delhi; doubt remains over Test

The BCCI has also asked its ground and pitches committee chairman Daljit Singh to inspect the Palam ground. In Indian domestic cricket, it is the home ground of the Services team. The ground has hosted international teams such as Australia and England in the past. The wicket here suits the pacers, so the tall, lanky South African pacers are expected to do well at this venue.

Add Cricket Country as a Preferred Source

Earlier in a candid confession with DNA, DDCA vice-president Chetan Chauhan admitted that, “There were three main reasons which forced me to write to BCCI”. Firstly, I was not sure about the Kotla wicket as this involved an international team like South Africa. Secondly, everyone knows that we’ve some controversy going on within our organisation [DDCA] which is hampering some of the work at the Kotla. Thirdly, and most importantly, was that we need various permissions from NDMC [New Delhi Municipal Corporation] and MCD [Municipal Corporation of Delhi] before hosting any international matches,” Chauhan said.