When the Poms come to town, the New Year’s test match at Newlands is always a memorable occasion.

Ben Stokes might have ruined the last visit with a double ton, but the beer still flows, the sun shines, and the Barmy Army sing songs about how weak the rand is whilst developing third-degree sunburn.

Sometimes you have to take your wins where you can get them.

The English are due to tour again at the of this year, and the Newlands test is scheduled for January 3-7.

Sadly, due to what can best be described as another sports governing body that’s fallen apart at the seams, that test is now in danger of being moved.

IOL reports:

The fate of the marquee Test match between the Proteas and England will be decided at a series of meetings in Cape Town next week. “We are worried that they may not be able to host the Test,” Cricket SA’s chief executive, Thabang Moroe [below], said on Thursday.

Cricket SA earlier this week suspended the Western Province Cricket Association Board, and named Professor Andre Odendaal as administrator to oversee the province’s affairs.

Cricket SA claimed that the WPCA Board has been conducting business under “distressed conditions in relation to, inter alia, the WPCA’s administrative, governance and financial affairs.”

“We are concerned with the finances of Western Province, so as CSA we want to understand some of the decisions they have taken and what their plans are in terms of moving themselves out of the hole they have put themselves in,” Moroe explained.

That ‘hole’ is both a physical and economic one. The WPCA finds itself in financial trouble as it seeks to raise funds for building developments at Newlands. There is currently a big hole at the ground’s Kelvin Grove End (where the tennis courts used to be) and where a new stand that will include offices is to be built.

“I’d like to think that by sitting around the table and us working together with them as the mother body, that we make sure the Test stays there. That includes getting the city (council) in as well. There is a big construction project happening there, and there are obviously issues of safety.”

What’s funny is that Moroe, and Cricket SA, think they can step in and fix the problem, when Cricket SA is in such a sorry state itself.

Still, they’re playing hardball when it comes to crunching the numbers:

The WPCA announced in March this year that it reached an agreement with Sanlam for a new office block development that would cost in the region of R750-million. Sanlam agreed to cover 51% of those costs while WPCA would pick up the rest. However Cricket SA is not satisfied with WPCA’s progress and wants to figure out exactly what is going on.

If they are not satisfied, the New Year’s Test could be moved to another venue.

Moroe says the safety of the spectators must be ensured, as well as the standards expected from the International Cricket Council ticked off, in order for Newlands to retain the hosting rights.

If the test was to be moved, it would put a massive dent in the WPCA’s bottom line. With the organisation already struggling financially, it really would be disastrous.

A decision on a deadline date to make that call will only be finalised after next week’s meetings, but Moroe said he remains “cautiously optimistic”.

On behalf of everyone who intends to attend at least a few days of the test match, fix this mess, please.

Drinking for three days straight, and shouting insults at the Barmy Army, isn’t nearly as much fun when you’re sat at home.

[source:iol]