The South Africa-Netherlands ODI World Cup fixture is likely to be marred by rain with the city of Dharamsala witnessing drizzle since early morning on Tuesday.
The forecast from the Indian Meteorological Department is that of thunderstorms with rain throughout the day.
Earlier on Monday, the first snowfall of the season in the Dhauladhar range nearby resulted in continuous rains from well before dawn up until the afternoon.It remains to be seen how an already ‘average’ outfield fares during Tuesday’s match.
Speaking to The Indian Express on Monday, the host association was confident that there remained no that their was no threat to the fixture.
“The prediction for the next games is fine and we are fully equipped for them,” Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) secretary Avnish Parmar told this newspaper.
The venue, which has hosted two World Cup games so far, is marked to host three more including the India-New Zealand match this Sunday. When asked if there are any contingencies in place to move the matches elsewhere, Parmar reiterates, “There is no such concern as all World Cup matches are on schedule and we are fully prepared.”
However, with rain making the patchy outfield even muddier, the issue has been flagged by the two teams scheduled to play on Tuesday.
“Yeah, it looks a bit touchy. When we practised last night, it didn’t affect us so much. I don’t know if it’s easy to change your diving technique as a result in the heat of the moment (during the game). Guys will have to put a bit more attention to it,” South Africa skipper Temba Bavuma said on Monday.according to the reports published in indianexpress.com .
Netherlands head coach Ryan Cook weighed in on a lighter note. “I’ll speak about the outfield with a bit of glee because this is probably better than most of the outfields we play in any way.”
