COLOMBO, JANUARY 17: India begins their campaign in the Super Eight League of the Youth World Cup cricket on Tuesday against Nepal even as South Africa, which failed to make the grade after all three of its league matches were washed out by rain, decided to appeal to the International Cricket Council to amend the rain rules.India, Group B with two wins and one draw in the preliminary rounds, will have an easy first tie against Nepal, which sneaked past South Africa and entered the Super League taking full advantage of the rain rules.Though the Indian Colts led by Mohd Kaif have won their matches against Kenya and New Zealand, their top and middle order batting has not yet fully settled down.The Indians won relatively easily against Bangladesh, but struggled to beat a strong New Zealand. It required heroics of Yuvraj Singh, who made 68 runs in 62 balls and followed it up with 4-36, to see India through to the Super League stage.The Super League matches will be held on alternate days startingTuesday, while matches in the Plate Championship will be held on the other days. India is to meet Nepal at Kattunayake Stadium near here followed by two more matches against England (on Jan 20) and Sri Lanka (Jan 22).Meanwhile, South Africa which fell by the wayside without playing a single match, vent its ire on the rain rules. One point each were awarded to teams whose matches were hit by rain.``We have not come here only to win. We have come here to compete. To compete we must play. It is unfortunate we could achieve neither,'' said a disappointed Keke Dali, South African under-19 team manager.Dali said he would suggest to Dr Ali Bacher, director of United Cricket Board of South Africa, to make a strong representation to ICC to change the system relating to the matches hit by rain.South Africa's preliminary league matches against Nepal, Kenya and Pakistan were washed out by rain. And much to their chargin, minnows Nepal, by virtue of their lone win against kenya, sneaked into the SuperLeague.Dali said his team had got an opportunity to play against Nepal in which his side scored 295 for five and reduced Nepal to 24 for four before rain came pouring down.Dali also criticised the organisers for having incompetent ground staff at Kattunayake here who took 70 minutes to remove the covers after the rain. ``But for them we could have made a match of it,'' he told local media.Besides South Africa, Kenya too expressed displeasure at the standard of the pitches and ground conditions. At Radella, where the team played Pakistan, seven of its batsmen were out for duck as the ball bounced abnormally, prompting a local newspaper to headline the story: ``Duck farm at Radella''.
