The ‘big hole’ that’s threatening the Newlands Test

Cricket South Africa (CSA) CEO Thabang Moroe made it sound as if there was a massive hole on the Newlands outfield that was threatening the New Year’s Test against England when he explained the justification for the
national body putting the Western Province Cricket Association (WPCA) under administration this week, but sources in Cape Town say the claims are exaggerated.

CSA stepped in out of the blue to put all the running affairs of the WPCA under the control of their appointed administrator, who just happens to be the previous CEO in Cape Town, Andre Odendaal.

Moroe said the unprecedented move was decided upon on the basis that the second Test against England, scheduled
to start at Newlands on January 3, could now be in doubt.

Thabang Moroe (CEO) of Cricket South Africa during the CSA 2019/2020 season launch at The Wanderers Club on September 26, 2019 in Johannesburg, South Africa. (Photo by Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images)

“It is a concern for us because they are a very strong province, but the board was very decisive in stepping in to assist in order to make sure the WPCA can pull their own weight. We need to make sure they can host that Test in January 2020, that is what we are worried about.

“We will have round table discussions and the City of Cape Town will be there as well because our chief concern is safety.

“The construction currently happening at Newlands is definitely disruptive, there’s literally a hole in the ground and we are worried about the security of the fans and players; we are expecting a big number of England supporters for that game,” Moroe said at CSA’s season launch at the Wanderers Club.

The construction at Newlands is part of Sanlam’s property development of the B field, which could be worth as much as R1 billion to the WPCA, making them considerably less reliant on CSA.

Sources based in Cape Town say the hole is well away from the main field, in an old parking lot beyond the nets and behind the Castle Corner side of the ground, and the only problem it currently causes is that it stops patrons on the Railway Stand side of the ground from being able to walk around the stadium on the Kelvin Grove End side.

“This is the first phase of the development and there is just an inaccessible part of the ground that means you can’t walk right around the stadium. But everybody involved knows there’s a Test starting on January 3 and being ready by then was always part of the plan.

“There was some delay due to funding issues but it’s mystifying where CSA are coming from, because they’re basically saying they don’t trust the WPCA to fix it in time,” a Cape cricket insider told The Citizen.

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