KZN Cricket Union is set to lose ‘hundreds of thousands’ of rands after the abandoned Durban test.

On Wednesday the International Cricket Council (ICC) said the match referee‚ Andy Pycroft‚ had rated the outfield as ‘poor’.

That could mean‚ according to the ICC’s ‘sanction for substandard pitches and/or outfields’‚ punishment of ‘a warning and/or a fine not exceeding US$15 000 given, together with a directive for appropriate corrective action’.

CSA have 14 days to respond to Pycroft’s report.

The last few days of the match were abandoned due to the unplayable state of the outfield, this after intensive work was done to the grounds seven weeks prior to the opening day. Due to heavy rain the damage was increased, making the outfield soft under foot leaving umpires and players alike concerned about the risk of injury.

According to timeslive.co.za, KZN Cricket Union president Faeez Jaffer said the organisation’s financial losses had yet to be determined‚ but another administrator said it would be ‘in the hundreds of thousands’.

‘We are not worried about losing Test status‚’ Jaffer said.

‘We still have the ability to host Test cricket and we can’t accept blame for the fact that the outfield wasn’t right.

‘Maybe the work should have been done earlier.’

Photo: Muzi Ntombela