Bad light & rain ruin fourth day's play From R. Mohan it may have. The thrill of speculating which way this Ocean, is rather famous for being the sun-dappled fascinatingly poised Test would go was the only re- holiday resort of South Africa. A cold front moving DURBAN, Nov. 16. lief from the tedium of seeing 531 runs scored in down from the Transvaal is thought to be the cause It was a frustrating day at Kingsmead for players, three days of slow and not exactly absorbing for such freakish weather in daytime. These parts the few diehard spectators and mediamen who cricket. The loss of a whole day's play had shatter- are well known for the spectacular thunderstorms gathered here today. The game's relationship with ed the prospect of a close battle and a possibly that develop late evening or night. The bolts of light- the weather is so uneasy that any little variation thrilling finish. ning come streaking down in a frightening way and from the bright and sunny seems to ruin the peculiar The Test may have been jinxed from a Friday the the rain pelts for 20 minutes or so before the storm chemistry of cricket and the sun. 13th start. The historic match did not draw much of moves on. But to have weather as in an English Days in the sun make the game. But when the a crowd over three days and it is unlikely that any- summer is all too rare. southern summer is to offer such a hideously one who is not actually working at Kingsmead will A veteran statistician was tapping his memory to monsoonish day with light rain and poor light what be there on Tuesday when the curtain will come see how many days of cricket were ruined by rain can anyone say except that the Test was blighted down on this first ever India-South Africa Test. in South African Test history. This sounded too by circumstances beyond human control. The first This is what they call summer here, though much like a wild goose chase. Maybe, someone will ever Test may not have produced a result. But then Durban, with its many beaches along the Indian note down from now how many minutes and days, would have been lost to the weather and such other factors as bad light. Test cricket, apparently slipping into the doldrums from the very start of South Af- rica's celebrated return, may have had another disadvertisement thrust upon it by the unkindness of the elements. It may have seemed simple enough to be able to switch on the lights and carry on with Test cricket under lights. This may sound too modernistic. Ac- ceptance may take some time in coming and if it comes at all it will come first in South Africa be- cause all four Test venues for the series have lights So do three other grounds of international stan- dards. The question of uniformity of application of laws cannot be the grounds for any objections. It was, however, a combination of bad light and rain that ruined the day's play. So, not even lights are going to solve the problem of bad weather. The marketing of Test cricket may demand such measures in the future. After all, are umpires not carrying light meters these days as standard equip- ment? And there were three of them going round and round today holding out these infernal things when it would have been perfectly possible to flip the switches on and play when bad light was the only consideration Will East Bengal or Mohun Bagan sign them up? They are not South Africa's footballers, but Having fancied its chances highly, India may have cricketers Jonty Rhodes (foreground). Allan Donald and Omar Henry having some fun on a been the team to be disappointed at the turn of rainy day. Me Millan's face is covered by the football. events today. The day dawned dank and cloudy but, for the most part, rain was so negligible that Coincidentally, this very modest batsman who al- winning chance for his team. If nothing is left in the children continued to play on the field well into the Test as a contest and from the perspective of a afternoon by when Durban had lost its reputation of ways gives his 100 per cent to the game, made his one-day international appearance against South Af- positive result, at least it is guaranteed that it will go the sunny city with fine beaches. rica last year. down as Amre's match. His triumph was complete From the point of view of confidence and morale Amre'a match: A half century and a couple of ath- in a game in which the only batsman not to struggle It's a day of inspections for the three umpires, Karl Liebenberg, Cyril Mrtchley (wrt*ithe of the touring team it was better that its sixth letic catches in the outfield at the Eden Gardens too much in the making of runs was Kepler Lhtmeter) and Stove Bucknor, on the fourth day of the first India-South Africa Test in Durban specialist batsman, Praveen Amre, had almost made were his contribution to India's victory. Here, he Weasels. Amre made his runs in more adverse con- 1 on Monday. — Fax photos: V. V. Krishnan the game secure with his century on appearance. may have imagined he had contributed "to a similar ditions..