NEW DELHI – Factbox on the readiness of the stadiums for the cricket World Cup after Kolkata’s Eden Gardens was dropped as the venue of the India v England match. The tournament is being co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh from February 19-April 2.
India:
NEW DELHI – The Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium has only just returned as an international venue, having been stripped of the right to host cricket for one-year in January 2010. An India v Sri Lanka one-dayer in December 2009 was called off inside 24 overs on a pitch that was too dangerous and the venue has not hosted another international.
International Cricket Council (ICC) pitch consultant Andy Atkinson has since been a regular visitor, monitoring the remedial work that for some time cast a shadow over Kotla’s prospects of hosting World Cup matches. However, there seem to be no major worries for the near 50,000 capacity ground where Anil Kumble took all 10 Pakistan wickets in an innings of a 1999 test. Kotla will host four World Cup matches.
CHENNAI: The 50,000 capacity MA Chidambaram Stadium is known for its knowledgeable crowd who gave a standing ovation to a victorious Pakistan team in 1997, something unimaginable elsewhere in the country. A regular international venue since hosting the first test in 1934 when Douglas Jardine’s England took on CK Nayudu’s India, the stadium, formerly known as Chepauk, is ready to host four World Cup matches.
MUMBAI: The Wankhede Stadium, which will host three matches including the final, has been approved as a World Cup venue by the ICC inspection team, subject to the completion of “minor finishing work” within two weeks. The 45,000 capacity stadium, where Ravi Shastri hit Baroda’s Tilak Raj for six sixes in an over, has undergone massive reconstruction in a race against time to get it ready.
KOLKATA: Eden Gardens missed two deadlines for completion, prompting the ICC to shift the Feb. 27 India v England match from one of cricket’s most iconic venues. Former ICC chief Jagmohan Dalmiya and his colleagues at the Cricket Association of Bengal could guarantee the completion of areas for cricket operations, media, broadcast and sponsorship facilities.
With a capacity of nearly 100,000, the crowd in full voice makes it a memorable experience for most players and shifting the Feb. 27 match is a loss for the teams and the cricket-crazy city which hosted the 1987 World Cup final. The challenge for the venue now is to get ready for three other matches, none featuring India.
NAGPUR: The Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium in Jamtha is one of the new grounds in India, having hosted its first test in 2008 and first ODI the following year. The 40,000 capacity stadium in Indian cricket board chief Shashank Manohar’s hometown, which is famous for oranges, has none of the uncertainties that plague Kolkata or Mumbai. The VCA ground will host four World Cup matches.
AHMEDABAD: The 54,000 capacity Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera, where Sunil Gavaskar became the first batsman to score 10,000 test runs, has not had to struggle with deadlines. The stadium is still in good shape after renovation work in 2006 and is ready to host three World Cup matches, including the second quarter-final.
BANGALORE: The half-built M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, previously called the Karnataka State Cricket Association Stadium, was given test status in 1974 for what was the debut match for the West Indian duo of Viv Richards and Gordon Greenidge. The stadium was renovated in 1996 when it hosted a thrilling India v Pakistan World Cup quarter-final. Bangalore is ready to host four World Cup matches.
CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Cricket Association Stadium at Mohali, on the outskirts of Chandigarh, can accommodate 40,000 fans and former BCCI chief Inderjit Singh Bindra, now the ICC’s chief advisor, has ensured the ground is well maintained. The facilities in and around the stadium make it possibly India’s best cricket venue and visiting teams especially like the bounce on offer.
A regular international venue, the Mohali stadium is ready to host three matches, including a semi-final. It hosted the Australia v West Indies World Cup semi-final in 1996.
SRI LANKA:
HAMBANTOTA: The Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium was built in 2009 and has hosted only a low-scoring unofficial test. The ICC inspectors have been regular visitors to the 35,000-capacity stadium and have provisionally cleared it for the World Cup, asking for all finishing work to be completed within two weeks. Two matches have been allotted to the venue.
PALLEKELE: The 35,000-capacity Pallekele International Cricket Stadium near Kandy has hosted just one test match and is one of the three new stadiums developed for the World Cup. The preparations have been far from ideal though and, after two inspections, a deadline of two weeks has been imposed for all finishing work to be completed before the stadium hosts three World Cup matches.
COLOMBO: The R. Premadasa Stadium, named after a former president whose brain-child it was, lagged far behind schedule last year and local organisers cannot relax yet.
The venue for seven matches, including a quarter-final and a semi-final, it is the third Sri Lankan stadium with a two-week deadline for the finishing touches to be completed.
BANGLADESH:
CHITTAGONG: Built in 2004 for the under-19 World Cup, the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium was granted full international status in 2006. The 25,000-capacity stadium is ready to stage its two matches.
MIRPUR: The Shere Bangla Stadium, equipped with an impressive drainage facility, will host up to six matches, including the opening game and two quarter-finals. The 25,000-capacity venue is about 10 km from Dhaka.
