Cricket South Africa postpone 3TC tournament with pending government permission
Cricket South Africa’s plans to bring live cricket back to the Television has been hit with a massive roadblock after the government delayed the required permission for the same. The game was billed as the Solidarity Cup and was meant to act as fundraiser for people affected by the pandemic.
On Tuesday, Cricket South Africa announced a three-team exhibition match to be played on June 27 in Centurion, with a totally unique format being used for the same. The three teams were supposed to play against each other in the same match for the Solidarity Cup but now that has been hit by a massive roadblock. As per a report on Cricbuzz, South Africa's government has not approved the venture as Centurion is in a coronavirus hotspot.
Cricket South Africa needed approval from the health ministry as well as the department of sport to use the venue for the match but contrary to what CSA’s director of Cricket, Graeme Smith said last week, they have neither with them at the moment.
"The operational teams behind the solidarity match and event partners in collaboration with CSA, 3TCricket, and SuperSport met to consider the readiness to host the event on June 27. Following this meeting, it has become clear that more work is needed in preparation, including approval. A new date will be announced in due course,” CSA said in a release on Saturday, reported Cricbuzz.
The concept was first proposed by multi-millionaire banker Paul Harris, who revealed that he hit on the idea when he wanted to play cards with his wife and daughter in a game that was designed for two. He had Mark Nicholas and former South African rugby captain Francois Pienaar as the support for the venture, with CSA throwing their full support for the TV-only affair. As of now, there has been no new date yet although a certain official stated that they would roll the tournament within weeks.