Centurion - The Proteas’ first day-night T20I against India in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday will go ahead despite threats of load shedding.
According to reports in India, the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) disconnected the power of Green Field Stadium after Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) failed to pay its outstanding electricity bill.
The KCA has since transferred Rs 50,000 (almost R11 000) as a token payment to KSEB and promised to pay the entire bill as soon as they can after the match. They have also set up a backup plan with the use of generators.
“There is no disruption, the match will be held as scheduled," KCA secretary Krishna Prasad told Cricbuzz. "Power or not, the match will be held with the help of generators anyway. That is the way for any international game, because a game cannot depend on the uninterrupted power supply from the state boards across states.
“We need power before the game and for maintenance and for that we have initiated back-up measures. The generators will be pressed into service," said the KCA official. "We want the match to happen and it will happen.”
The Greenfield Stadium is owned by Kerala Sports Facility Ltd (KSFL), which has actually defaulted on payments.
"There is a theatre and an auditorium which has consumed power and that bill is pending and we are not concerned with that. Why should we pay for others' consumption," Krishna Prasad said.
South African sports stadiums have long since utilised on-site generators to facilitate matches with load shedding prevalent all around the country.
Thiruvananthapuram, who does not have an Indian Premier League team, will host the first of the three T20Is between India and South Africa with the other two being in Guwahati and Indore on October 2 and 4. The T20Is are followed by three ODIs in Lucknow, Ranchi and Delhi.