admin
Sports Reporter
Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) faces a mammoth rescue job as it scrambles to prepare the grass at Queens Sports Club after it was ruined during last Saturday’s Bulawayo Shut Down music concert.
ZC officials are facing a scramble to ensure the hallowed turf is ready for cricketing use after pictures showed it in disarray.
The damage comes at a time when Bulawayo cricket lovers are already up in arms with the failure of ZC to bring more international matches to the city. India are due in Zimbabwe in July but will play all their matches in Harare.
The famous cricket venue recently hosted the Bulawayo Shutdown Concert — that is thought to have set concert crowd records — and as a result, the turf has been badly damaged and needs a rescue job. Poor rainfall patterns in the city have also contributed to the problem.
Queens has not hosted an international match since the World Cup qualifiers last year, but has hosted several music shows.
“Clubs within the Bulawayo Metropolitan Cricket Association need to step up and refuse to allow shows to be held at Queens, otherwise this will keep happening. Which top side would want to play on a field in this state?” said Tyrone Ncube an avid cricket fan.
Another fan said;
“So we’re putting our players at risk again by allowing music shows to keep damaging the pitch? To me, this feels like someone is turning a blind eye to the potential damage these shows are causing to the field at Queens.
“How come during the T10 Tournament at Harare Sports Club, no one was allowed onto the field when the artistes were performing,” charged the fan.
Elsewhere in the world, it is common for the turf to be replaced at this time of year, with the local cricket season transitioning, but that has not been the case locally.
Online Reporter