Workers rush to cover the pitch in Cape Town on Saturday

Cape Town: Both teams had reason to be relieved and unhappy. Relieved at getting one point at least; unhappy that not a ball could be bowled in their quest for full points, at Newlands, on Saturday.

With rain drenching Cape Town from early morning, only a miracle would’ve ensured play in the Kolkata Knight Riders versus the Chennai Super Kings IPL clash. That didn’t happen, though rain did hold for around half-an-hour in the afternoon.

However, with the clouds thick and threatening, the cover on the wicket wasn’t taken off even for a minute. Eventually, the match was abandoned at 7.15 pm local time, with the two points being shared.

With two matches called off without a ball being bowled, in the first eight days of the tournament, the IPL brass need to introspect. After all, the No.1 reason for overlooking initial first-choice England was uncertainty over weather!

As each had just one win, it was assumed both the Knights and the Super Kings would’ve given it all in trying for full points.

Now, the Knights must wait till Monday, when they meet the Mumbai Indians in Port Elizabeth. The Super Kings’ next match is against the in-form Deccan Chargers, in Durban, also on the same day.

“There’s not too much you can do about it (rain)... We’ve got to move on, to the next match... We’ve got to make sure we’re well-prepared and play to our absolute potential... While it’s frustrating, the hope is that the rain will go away at some point,” remarked the Knights’ captain, Brendon McCullum.

Talking of the Super Over defeat, on Thursday, he said: “There was a bit of frustration... But the nature of back-to-back matches is such that you’ve got to get over it fast... We tried to look at the positives...”

Asked if captaincy had been affecting his batting, McCullum replied: “No... These are early days and one will be able to judge better after a few weeks... I’m trying to adjust my game to the pitches in South Africa...

“As for captaincy, I see this as a huge learning curve and it’s an honour leading Chris Gayle and Sourav Ganguly.”

Full points, off the field, for being politically correct.

Footnote: Former South Africa all-rounder Brian ‘Big Mac’ McMillan regrets that the T20 game got introduced long after he quit. “Oh, I would’ve loved playing this stuff, plus look at the money that’s going around,” McMillan, who is into business now, told The Telegraph.