Gibson Molale, the president of Northern Cape Cricket, stated during a press conference held at the Oval that major events like the upcoming ODI are essential for the Northern Cape to develop.
IT HAS been almost 30 years since Kimberley’s Diamond Oval hosted a One-Day International, but next Wednesday, the Proteas and England will play a 50-over match at the city’s premier cricket venue located in Cassandra. .
In fact, the last time the England team played at the Diamond Oval was on November 12, 1995, when Paul Adams made his debut in the Proteas squad.
Gibson Molale, the president of Northern Cape Cricket (NCC), stated during a press conference held at the Oval that major events like the upcoming ODI are essential for the Northern Cape to develop. This, said Molale, will enable both investors and visitors to enter the region, boosting the economy in a much-needed way.
Molale said that NCC had requested that Cricket South Africa trust them to host one of the South Africa vs England matches. The Diamond Oval, he explained, is the only asset in the Northern Cape that has the potential to draw an international match.
“If we don’t take care of this asset, Cricket South Africa won’t give us the chance to stage another major event here at the Oval,” Molale said.
Molale then made an appeal to the Premier of the Province Dr Zamani Saul saying, “To ensure that such assets are consistently cared for and maintained to a level that is acceptable to Cricket South Africa, I want you to include a note in your budget premier.
“I was informed that our stadium wasn’t up to code and that we had to make several adjustments to get it to where it is now,” Molale remarked.
The NCC president said that there seemed to be scepticism among residents of the Northern Cape about Kimberley’s ability to host the ODI. “This is the reason we are here today,” Molale said. “The trophy is here, and we want to let everyone know that the Proteas vs England game will be played in Kimberley on February 1st.
“People may rest easy knowing they can go buy their tickets right away,” he added.
The Premier then officially received and welcomed the trophy to the Northern Cape after it was handed over to him by Molale.
“Now that the game is on, we must encourage Northern Cape residents to get tickets in order to ensure that the stadium is completely packed with spectators,” Saul said. “The R200,000 in tickets that we as the provincial government promised to purchase would be split evenly between Pescodia and Roodepan High Schools.
“Additionally, we will coordinate and set up transportation so that we can pick up the learners before the game and drop them off again after. These young people watch these matches on television; therefore, they will now be able to see a contest of this calibre live in the stadium,” the premier added.
Predicting the immediate impact this event would have on the Northern Cape’s economy, the Premier said that he expects all of the accommodations in the city to be completely booked.
“I’m certain I’m the first Premier to collect the ODI trophy in the Northern Cape, and I feel like I’m starting to establish myself as a Premier of firsts,” he concluded.
Molale meanwhile said that he is extremely excited for the people of the Northern Cape.
“With regard to the preparations, we are progressing very well; we are now in the last phases, and by Sunday I will receive the final report on the progress about how far along we are with preparing things. But none of this would be possible without the partners that agreed to support us in hosting this game,” Molale told the gathered guests.
He further explained what has gone into preparing for this International.
“To host this ODI, Cricket South Africa provided us with a list of prerequisites. You can see all the work being done on the property since we wanted to have perfect lighting, grass, a pitch, and structures because we would be receiving visitors from across the world.
“I further call on the people of the Northern Cape to take the opportunity to come and watch the ODI at the Oval. We need to fill the stadium so that we can hold more of these matches here in the future. As of Tuesday, the grandstand on top is sold out, and the second one is almost sold out.
“The only spaces still available are the grandstand on the grass, the train, and the grass embankment,” Molale said.
So if you are a resident or a visitor in Kimberley and enjoy watching cricket, you are encouraged to buy your ticket to secure your seat for next Wednesday. It is not every day that Kimberley has the privilege to host an ODI. And by being there you could be part of history.
As for the game itself, let’s all cross our fingers that the Proteas will make us proud and take the trophy from the reigning world champions.
The Proteas squad from which the playing XI will be selected to take on England is as follows:
Temba Bavuma (c), Quinton De Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Sisanda Magala, Keshav Maharaj, Janneman Malan, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Kagiso Rabada, Rassie van der Dussen.
