Cricket match off

Press, 20 December 1988, Page 48

Cricket match off

NZPA Jammu New Zealand’s final cricket tour match against India was abandoned yesterday. Steady overnight rain continued yesterday morning and the stadium was partly under water. With low fog and no sign of a change in the weather, the match was called off, leaving India victorious in the one-day series, 4-0. The decision brought a damp end to a competition in which India conclusively proved itself the better side, with more consistent batting, tight, penetrative bowling and at times brilliant fielding. For their efforts, the Indians pocketed the lion’s share of the prize money put up for the limited over competition. Of the 100,000 rupees (approximately $NZ11,000) available, India took 73,000 rupees and New Zealand 12,000 rupees.

India took 7000 rupees for winning each match, a further 5000 rupees for having the “man of the

match” every time — through the efforts of Kris Srikkanth, Navjot Sidhu, Ajay Sharma and Mohammad Azharuddin — and 25,000 for team of the series. New Zealand took 12,000 rupees, collecting the loser’s cheque in the four games. The problem now for the tourists is finding their way back to Bombay for their early morning flight home tomorrow. Originally they were to fly to New Delhi this afternoon, then on to Bombay a few hours later, leaving for Singapore at 2.30 a.m. on Wednesday. Now the tour management is considering two possibilities. One is taking the train from Jammu to New Delhi, a 12-hour journey, or organising a mid-afternoon flight reaching Bombay in the early evening. The New Zealand players are disappointed to have missed the final match, which would have given them a last opportunity to gain some satisfaction from the one-day

They also see the irony of a situation where the final day of the tour is washed out, after having seen no rain — apart from 10 minutes light drizzle in Bangalore during the first test — in the last seven and a half weeks.

However, the pitch at the stadium was bone dry. It was protected by a Kashmir rug, two canvas covers and a plastic sheet. But the outfield and the bowler’s run-ups were soaked.

The stay in Jammu has produced the toughest security of the tour. Both teams are staying at the same hotel, which has soldiers armed with rifles patrolling the grounds day and night, guarding the entrances to the hotel. For local match officials, who had been anticipating a crowd of at least 30,000 and maybe 40,000 for the game, the decision to abandon the match was a bitter pill. It had not been insured and officials now face a hefty bill and loss of revenue.