Jay Shah pays Wanderers, Centurion, a whistle-stop visit.

Jay Shah doesn’t visit the city too often, but the Titans were ready on Wednesday night. They had set up a red carpet suitable for VVIPs that flowed from a BCCI blue carpet. There was a lavish meal inside. The former BCCI secretary and ICC chair were prepared to be welcomed in Centurion.

However, even if the most influential person in cricket hadn’t been headed to the ground, everything said above would still have been in place. The Titans had their annual awards ceremony on Wednesday as well. It was a fortunate coincidence that the event fell during Shah’s visit.

Jay Shah had been driven by Lions president Mohammad Moosajee to the Wanderers, which is 36 km south down a freeway from Centurion, in the hours prior. He was in the country, but why?

Jay Shah was returning from the Thursday through Sunday ICC board meetings in Zimbabwe. He was supposed to depart for India later on Wednesday after making a detour in Botswana on his way to South Africa.

Lions CEO Jono Leaf-Wright told Cricbuzz, “He wanted to have a look around because he hadn’t been to the [Wanderers] in a while.” “From the media centre to the dressing room, down the tunnel and onto the pitch, we carried him everywhere. In reality, it was merely a stroll discussing international cricket. There was no formal meeting and no agenda. The catch-up and relationship-building session went well.

Jay Shah appearance wasn’t as unexpected as it could have seemed.

The Wanderers and Centurion will be among the venues utilised for the 2027 men’s World Cup, which will be hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. Yes, Johannesburg is probably where the final will take place.

The tournament was held in the same three nations in 2003, and the grounds had been greatly improved before then. However, a lot has happened since then—that was 22 years ago.

To try to guarantee consistency and quality, South Africa intends to employ drop-in pitches at the Wanderers, Centurion, Kingsmead, and Newlands. In South Africa in 2003, drop-in surfaces did not exist. Another is that floodlight technology has advanced much since then. Although certain locations in South Africa shine brilliantly under the most up-to-date lighting available, this isn’t always the case. Shah will also have a clear picture of the condition of the drainage at the two sites because of the epic rainstorm that struck the Highveld on Wednesday afternoon. The Wanderers and Centurion are true turf-covered colanders, so he should be content with the latter.

Jay Shah desire to personally assess the grounds’ preparedness for the world-renowned event is encouraging, even if the tournament is still more than two years away. I would much prefer do it than have a terrible surprise later.

In addition, why wouldn’t you have lunch at the Wanderers, dinner at Centurion, and your flight back to Ahmedabad in the same few hours?