Feb. 8: Eden Gardens can finally breathe a sigh of relief with the International Cricket Council saying it was satisfied with the pace of renovation work at the historic venue in Kolkata.
“The ICC was encouraged by the progress made towards completing the necessary construction work at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The three-person ICC inspection team, which visited the ground on Monday, still believes that the outstanding work can be completed in time to host the three ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 matches, scheduled for Eden Gardens on 15, 18 and 20 March,” a statement issued by cricket’s world body stated on Tuesday.
ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat, however, shot down the prospect of Eden hosting at least one India match — possibly against Ireland. “The preliminary report that I received about Eden has been encouraging,” Lorgat said, speaking to the media here on Tuesday. “We haven’t received any request from the BCCI to shift the India-Ireland match to Eden till now. Even if it comes, I don’t think it will be possible because of the logistics involved,” he added.
The India-England match slated to take place in Kolkata for February 27 was shifted to Bengaluru with the ICC raising concerns over the preparedness of the venue. The stadium will now host its first World Cup match on March 15 between South Africa and Ireland. Lorgat marked out India as one of the favourites for the title this year. “The team that they have assembled has the potential to go all the way this year. They have the potential of making this a memorable World Cup at home,” he said.
On the issue of changing the format of the tournament to suit India, he said, “If any major team progresses to the later half of the tournament, be it India or Australia, it is always good for the organisers. Top teams always give a big boost to the viewership”.