Jay Shah's Centurion Tour and Wanderers-A Sneak Peek of the 2027 World Cup

Jay Shah's tour of South Africa was brief but telling. Though it is over two years to the 2027 World Cup, his visit to the picturesque cricket grounds in person to check out their condition is a sign of how seriously the preparations are being considered. Shah, who traveled to Zimbabwe for ICC board meetings, stopped over in Botswana before proceeding to South Africa. His tour of the Wanderers and Centurion coincided with the awards night of the Titans.

Centurion had the Titans all set to welcome Shah. The setup was good, with a BCCI blue carpet leading to a red carpet. But Shah's visit was not the only thing about the event. That evening, the Titans were hosting their awards. Coincidence being what it was, it actually made the evening special.

Shah's trip to the Wanderers, about 36 kilometers south of Centurion, was a leisurely one. He hadn't been to the ground for some time and thought he'd go and check what was going on around there. Lions' president Mohammad Moosajee took him to the ground, where he was able to glance at the media centre, dressing rooms, tunnel, and even the pitch. It wasn't a formal visit or agenda-driven trip. Instead, it was an impromptu walkabout in which Shah talked about global cricket and reasserted his connections with South African cricket.

While Shah's visit seemed a recreational outing, it lacked no seriousness. The Centurion and Wanderers are two of the best cricket fields that will stage the 2027 Men's Cricket World Cup, hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. The last match of the World Cup will be held at Johannesburg, and as such, the standards of these stadiums are important. It was as far back as the year 2003 when these nations have hosted the World Cup, and so much has happened since then.

In 2003, the South African grounds were refurbished but now with modern technology and better techniques, the country is upgrading its grounds to an international level. One of the most visible changes is the use of drop-in pitches. South Africa will use the Wanderers, Centurion, Kingsmead, and Newlands grounds for the 2027 World Cup in such a manner that there will be quality and consistency. That was lacking in 2003, and therefore it would be a gigantic leap forward for the next tournament.

The second major improvement is the floodlighting. South African cricket grounds now boast the best floodlights in the world, but they are not all equipped in the same way. Shah's visit had the good fortune of being on the day a massive thunderstorm swept over the Highveld region, and so he tested the drainage facilities at the Wanderers and Centurion. Both grounds have had a history of being well-drained, with the heavy rain posing no problem, which would be an added requirement for the tournament.

While the 2027 World Cup is still in the distant future, Shah's visit to these legendary grounds is comforting. By visiting in person the venues, he is making sure that there would be no element of surprise when the tournament finally commences. That he is taking time out to visit these places in person in itself says a lot for the work gone into preparations. After all, if one can travel to Wanderers and Centurion, have lunch and dinner at both and yet catch a return flight to Ahmedabad within a day, why not go the extra mile to make the venues worthwhile?