Ndzundzu, who is part of the Cricket SA board, said infrastructure, crowd attendances, places of accommodation and security were among the priorities that were looked at during the discussion.
“Buffalo Park hosted the U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup in January and had arguably the best attendance in the whole tournament and SA was not even part of the teams that visited the city, but for the love of cricket people supported the tournament.
“And when the teams were in East London, there were no security concerns and that is one of the big things that is looked at,” Ndzundzu said.
He said the World Cup was likely to be in September and the ICC was yet to confirm the fixtures.
Ndzundzu said they were still waiting to hear from CSA regarding a possible upgrade at Buffalo Park before the showpiece.
“We have submitted everything but CSA has to speak to the government and ask if they would be able to cover the cost of all the stadiums, so everything is in process,” Ndzundzu said.
Buffalo Park and St George’s to host 2027 World Cup games
Image: RICHARD HUGGARD/GALLO IMAGES
There is good news for cricket lovers in the Eastern Cape as Buffalo Park in East London and St George’s Park in Gqeberha are set to host games for the 2027 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in SA, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
The 15,000-seater Buffalo Park and 18,000 capacity St George’s are two of eight grounds where the 50-over cricket global showpiece will be played.
The news was confirmed by Border Cricket president Simphiwe Ndzundzu and CSA public relations head Refentse Shinners on Wednesday.
Last year the Daily Dispatch, reported that both stadiums were part of CSA comprehensive audit looking at all potential 2027 host stadiums’ financials.
It will be the second time Border and EP will be custodians of the Men’s World Cup after the 2003 edition.
Back then, Buffalo Park hosted three matches — the Netherlands vs England, SA vs Canada and Zimbabwe vs Sri Lanka — while St George’s hosted five.
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Ndzundzu, who is part of the Cricket SA board, said infrastructure, crowd attendances, places of accommodation and security were among the priorities that were looked at during the discussion.
“Buffalo Park hosted the U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup in January and had arguably the best attendance in the whole tournament and SA was not even part of the teams that visited the city, but for the love of cricket people supported the tournament.
“And when the teams were in East London, there were no security concerns and that is one of the big things that is looked at,” Ndzundzu said.
He said the World Cup was likely to be in September and the ICC was yet to confirm the fixtures.
Ndzundzu said they were still waiting to hear from CSA regarding a possible upgrade at Buffalo Park before the showpiece.
“We have submitted everything but CSA has to speak to the government and ask if they would be able to cover the cost of all the stadiums, so everything is in process,” Ndzundzu said.
Proteas eager to bounce back at Buffalo Park
Shinners had said the cost estimates for the 2027 tournament would be determined once all the stadium audits had been completed.
In 2003, about R12m was spent on upgrading Buffalo Park, including R2.88m for a new state-of-the-art scoreboard featuring the latest technology and a TV screen for replays.
Ndzundzu said the major concern was the flood lights at Buffalo Park for possible day-night games.
“Everyone is using LED lights, that is something that needs to be changed at the ground, that we feel is a top priority,” he said.
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