The match will be rescheduled as soon as possible but, given the history of complaints about the Paarl pitch this season, it may have to be played elsewhere.It must also be doubtful whether Boland's three-day match against the West Indians in January will be played at a ground where the playing surface fails lamentably to match the scenic beauty.
Because most of the UCB executive were attending a transformation think-tank in Gauteng, they were able to hold a board meeting yesterday afternoon at which it was decided that managing director Ali Bacher will fly to the Cape on Wednesday to head an investigation into all aspects of Boland cricket.
Bacher will be accompanied by finance director Ian Smith, umpires and pitches director Brian Basson and leading groundsman Andy Atkinson. Individual meetings will be held with key Boland officials, including coach Hylton Ackerman and general manager Kevin Bridgens, to be followed by a meeting with the full Boland executive.
When play was called off yesterday, Northerns were on 273 for seven in their first innings, reports Sapa. As accusations flew at the ground, the Boland administration came under fire over the pitch, which has previously been the centre of controversy.
Boland's match against the New Zealanders in 1995 was called off because of the state of the pitch and the following year England's three-day match was bandoned on the second day.
Last month, Boland were fined R5,000 and docked one match point for preparing a substandard pitch for a Standard Bank League match against Gauteng.Yesterday the ball flew around alarmingly, often rearing up. Grant Morgan and Steve Elworthy were frequently unable to fend off dangerous deliveries. Umpires Robbie Brookes and Wilf Diederichs, in conjunction with coaches Hylton Ackerman and Peter Kirsten, decided on an early lunch to inspect the pitch thoroughly. During this period a decision was taken to halt the match.
Northerns coach Kirsten, said: ``It's high time Hylton (Ackerman) received the support he deserves from the Boland hierarchy. The sooner they put their egos to rest and start doing their job properly, the better it will be for Boland cricket.'' Both Kirsten and Ackerman stressed no blame could be apportioned to Peter Swart, who was only appointed as the official groundsman in recent weeks.Ackerman said the problems involving the pitches went back for several years. He added that no qualified groundsman had been appointed during the off-season.
The Boland administration recently came under fire from two former Boland captains, Adrian Kuiper and Omar Henry, who received a fierce rebuff from Boland president Henry Paulse.