Aussies create a scene at the Park

The pitch being used for the semi-final is part of a rebuilt section of the playing table that has been rarely used the past two seasons. The World Cup Committee flew in Hilbert Smit, the chairman of the SA Cricket Groundsmen Association and the pitch preparations controller of the CWC 2003 grounds committee to help oversee preparation of the pitch for the first semi-final, between Sri Lanka and Australia.

There was much criticism of the pitch after the Super Six game between Australia and New Zealand. There was a time in recent past though when Tests involving Australia in 1997, Pakistan March1998 and the West Indies in December 1998, when the surface suited pace and swing.

The idea was to get a faster surface as Tests died of ‘bored shame’ with the 1995/96 game between South Africa and England a prime example.

What has created a problem the last two years, however, is that it has been a long and very dry summer with a serious shortage of rainfall.

Along with hot dry winds, the sports grounds in the Eastern Cape have suffered from a lack of moisture. There have also been grass and small bushfires in the region.

This was an explanation today from Smit, also groundsman at SuperSport Park, Centurion, and a member of the World Cup 2003 pitch and grounds committee. He arrived to help oversee preparation of the surface for Tuesday’s semi-final between Australia and Sri Lanka and said that he was ‘‘satisfied with what has been done’’.

Work on the pitch for the semi-final started on Saturday and although there was a light rain on Sunday, there was still much accompanying wind which has the habit of creating its own problems to something as difficult and as delicate as pitch preparation.

Officials were confident that it would stand up to the traffic and while there was not a solid binding of grass coverage, they were confident that it would produce a better batting surface.