The Ferozeshah Kotla has been at the centre of a storm for more than six months now. The renovation work on the turf has been in full swing since May, and the International Cricket Council made it clear on Wednesday, that it has no plans of taking away 2011 World Cup games from the Delhi and Districts Cricket Association.
In response to pitch consultant Andy Atkinson’s report about the pitches in Delhi, ICC communications and media operations manager Sami-ul-Hasan said, “The report, if it does exist, will not have any adverse effect on the Kotla’s chances of hosting World Cup matches. Atkinson must have stated matters as they stand currently but the fact remains that Delhi will not be hosting international matches till December, which means they have enough time to work on the pitch.
“ICC will keep a close eye on how things are progressing at all World Cup venues. We‘ll take a final call over Kotla probably four or five weeks before the tournament,“ Hasan told this newspaper on Wednesday.
The DDCA are also surprised at Atkinson’s report. “We are getting ready to plant the grass since the monsoon season is already here... the work on the pitch has been on in full swing for a few months now,“ DDCA general secretary Sneh Bansal said.
The Kotla had earned a one-year international ban after the pitch was found unfit for play during an India-Sri Lanka ODI which was abandoned in December last year. “The delay was not caused by the DDCA. It was Atkinson who demanded a chemical, which was not available from the company he preferred. A second company offered the chemical but he rejected it and eventually it had to be imported which took 10-12 days,” Bansal added.