Kenya in triangular may affect profits
Fakir Hassen
The dismal performance of the Kenyan cricket side in the triangular series with India and South Africa currently under way here does not augur well for the financial future of the game in South Africa.
Leading provincial cricket administrators, particularly
financial officials
have joined the growing choir of voices that are questioning
the inclusion
of a much less experienced side like Kenya against two top
teams.
The Kenyans have suffered ignominious defeats at the hands of
the other two
teams, including a game last Friday in which they set India a
target of only
90 runs that Sourav Ganguly's men achieved in just over 11
overs.
"Matches like that certainly do not encourage local fans to
attend further
games involving the Kenyans," a provincial cricket
administrator who
preferred to remain anonymous told IANS.
"When a game ends about three hours before its expected
conclusion and fans
come out with their families, paying good money to watch the
game, they
leave disappointed and will probably think twice before they go
and watch
Kenya again."
A United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCB) survey had earlier
shown that
crowds at cricket games across the country were dwindling in
the face of
alternative forms of recreation.
Western Province Cricket Association CEO Arthur Turner said it
was vital to
get good products on to the pitches.
"One-sided matches involving teams like Kenya do not help. The
world has
become very selective. There's good cricket on television,
there are a lot
of other things today. And if we can't have a quality product,
we are not
going anywhere," Turner told the daily Sports Day here.
"I accept that we have to try and nurture the game as we go
along. But at
the end of the day, we can't compromise the excellence of the
game for its
expansion. The market is simply not going to tolerate it."
Turner told the Sports Day he was concerned about the
International Cricket
Council (ICC) creating too many Test playing nations and
diluting excellence
in the process.
India's tour of South Africa : Complete coverage
--Indo-Asian News Service
Mail Cricket Editor
