MUMBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) initiated an inspection of two Indian venues for the ICC Cricket World Cup on Monday after concerns over delayed renovation work.
ICC Officials visited the Wankhede Stadium to check on its status and will make a similar inspection of the Eden Gardens in Calcutta on Tuesday.
Both venues missed the original deadline for construction of Nov. 30, and the ICC ordered faster progress so the stadiums could be ready for handover to the ICC on January 31.
The World Cup, being jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, is scheduled to be started on February 19.
Mumbai will host two matches on March 13 and 17 and the final on April 2. Calcutta will host four matches, the first on Feb. 27 between India and England.
Mumbai Cricket Association joint-secretary Lalchand Rajput said the ICC officials were satisfied with the Wankhede Stadium.
“They were glad that the deadline has been met with,” Rajput told said. “They were in particular happy with the dressing rooms, media facilities, match officials' rooms and also the box for ICC officials.” Rajput also said that three giant television screens and a huge manual scoreboard had impressed them.
The ICC had pinpointed the need for more work on areas such as landscaping, fencing, umpire changing rooms, anti-doping and medical rooms, seating for spectators and media, and uninterrupted power supply for floodlights.
Though the field had not been a concern at either venue, the slow progress in other parts of the complex had been a worry.
Criticism of the slow construction was being compared to the buildup to the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi last October, when officials raced to the last minute to prepare venues and the athletes village.
Both venues missed the original deadline for construction of Nov. 30, and the ICC ordered faster progress so the stadiums could be ready for handover to the ICC on January 31.
The World Cup, being jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, is scheduled to be started on February 19.
Mumbai will host two matches on March 13 and 17 and the final on April 2. Calcutta will host four matches, the first on Feb. 27 between India and England.
Mumbai Cricket Association joint-secretary Lalchand Rajput said the ICC officials were satisfied with the Wankhede Stadium.
“They were glad that the deadline has been met with,” Rajput told said. “They were in particular happy with the dressing rooms, media facilities, match officials' rooms and also the box for ICC officials.” Rajput also said that three giant television screens and a huge manual scoreboard had impressed them.
The ICC had pinpointed the need for more work on areas such as landscaping, fencing, umpire changing rooms, anti-doping and medical rooms, seating for spectators and media, and uninterrupted power supply for floodlights.
Though the field had not been a concern at either venue, the slow progress in other parts of the complex had been a worry.
Criticism of the slow construction was being compared to the buildup to the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi last October, when officials raced to the last minute to prepare venues and the athletes village.
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