ICC recce for Cup venues
Tags:
Jan. 19: Come April 2, the coveted 2011 ICC World Cup trophy will be in the hands of the winners. But the countdown has begun with just a month to go for the cricket extravaganza. To mark the event, International Cricket Council president Sharad Pawar and chief executive Haroon Lorgat rang the gong at the historic Bombay Stock Exchange here on Wednesday.
Though the tournament will jointly be hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, there has been speculation about the readiness of venues, to which tournament director Dr. Ratnakar Shetty said, “I assure you that we are fully prepared. We are ready to stage this great event.”
To attract crowds for non-host country matches, there will be free entry for school and college students on presenting identity cards. Also, promotional events will be held by sponsors through which tickets will be distributed to fans, Shetty said. The ICC committee will assess the preparedness at both Wankhede and Eden Gardens on January 24 and 25 respectively. “No venue would like to lose out staging an international match, that too a World Cup. Therefore, there will be no compromise either for the venue or the ICC.”
Though visas for the match officials, ICC officials, and teams coming to India would be issued for a period of two months, spectators traveling across the border would have to apply for visas well in time, Shetty added.
Asked if there was a likelihood of matches in Sri Lanka being shifted to Mumbai, Lorgat said that there was no truth in such speculation. “There are no plans to shift any matches. The final inspections are going to be held soon. I would have been much more satisfied had the stadiums been completed on the due date. But I am not panicking just yet,” Lorgat said.
Post new comment