Cricket Association of Bengal Under Pressure After T20I Washout
Cricket Association of Bengal officials pointed out that Eden Gardens curator Prabir Mukherjee did not cover the ground despite Sourav Ganguly requesting him to do soon Thursday. Some officials are concerned that the Eden Gardens may lose hosting rights of the WorldT20 final.
The abandonment of the third Twenty20 between India and South Africa may have embarrassed Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) officials, but they are covering up their bases to ensure that they don't jeopardise their chances of hosting the final of the World Twenty20. (Third T20I Abandoned Due to Wet Outfield)
The Eden Gardens is slated to host the World Twenty20 final in less than six months time, and after Thursday's fiasco the CAB officials are working overtime to ensure that they don't lose out on the marquee fixture.
 Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who is CAB's president designate, seemed deeply concerned and was seen talking to chief curator Prabir Mukherjee's assistant Shankarshan Pal and the groundsmen.
"He was telling them to get the ground ready for the upcoming Ranji Trophy match (against Rajasthan) from October 15," a CAB official said.
Eden Gardens curator Mukherjee, who was squarely blamed for the abandonment of the match, was adamant not to show his face again, while the CAB on Friday softened its stance on the octogenarian.
CAB treasurer Biswarup Dey, who earlier demanded the curator's resignation, on Friday made a U-turn and said he would speak to the curator personally, apparently to convince him to return to his job.
"Such things happen in everyone's life. Sometimes even a top class doctor fails to get a patient healed. He is such an experienced person and we must show some respect to him. I will speak to him personally. It was a learning experience for us," Dey said.
Asked whether the Eden is in danger of losing the World Twenty20 final, Dey quipped: "If unlawful activities rise in New Delhi then will the Capital be shifted?"
Ground committee chairman Debabrata Das, however, blamed curator Mukhejee for the failure to host the match on Thursday.
Claiming that the veteran curator did not listen to Ganguly, he said: "Ganguly called him thrice requesting him to cover the ground way ahead of the the rainfall but he did not pay any heed.
"'I know the ground better than anyone else', Prabirda told us."
The third and final T20I between India and South Africa yesterday was abandoned without a ball being bowled because of wet outfield due to passing showers in the afternoon.
It also exposed the iconic venue's poor drainage system and also potrayed CAB in a poor light as the match could not be held more than seven hours after the rain subsided.