The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Delhi gets support from PCB, pitches committee

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 31, 2005

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Delhi gets support from PCB, pitches committee

By Our Sports Reporter

NEW DELHI, MARCH 30. A few more creases were ironed out for Delhi to host the high-profile series-ending one-day cricket match between India and Pakistan.

The Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Shahriyar Khan, and the Chairman of the BCCI's Pitches and Grounds Committee, Venkat Sundaram, on Tuesday gave enough indications in favour of Delhi's Ferozeshah Kotla ground.

"The Kotla outfield is as good as it gets. And, the pitch should be ready in time for the April 17 match,'' said Mr. Shahriyar Khan after inspecting the ground and other facilities at the stadium.

"As far as pitch and outfield is concerned I don't see any problem,'' Mr. Venkat Sundaram pitched in before leaving for Kanpur. Mr. Sundaram, who also inspected the stadium, said he had submitted his report to the Board but refused to comment on the details of his report.

A day after the Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit's visit, the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) made the final attempt to clear the air about the One-Day International that is so crucial for its financial health apart from the prestige involved. If Ms Dikshit's visit helped sort out several issues with the concerned civic agencies, Mr. Khan's presence further boosted Delhi's chances, what with the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, scheduled to witness the match.

"I am happy that I could visit the ground personally and see the facilities available here,'' said Mr. Khan. The PCB chief said he was shown three possible locations where President Musharraf could be seated to watch the match.

"I can just report about the facilities but what location would be right for President Musharraf is for the security people to decide,'' Mr. Khan said. "He (Mr. Musharraf) obviously will have his entourage as does the Indian Prime Minister. So it is best left to the security people of both sides to decide since security is the most important factor," he said.

Mr. Khan had words of praise for the Indian security agencies. "The Pakistan team has had no problems whatsoever during the tour so far,'' he said.

On Tuesday, the first official DDCA league match was played on the new pitch. The match ended just before Mr. Khan arrived and he suggested more matches be played to make the pitch ready for the international. "I can see that the stadium would not be complete and only half the envisaged capacity would be utilised. Obviously there will be some discomfort to the public in general but we will have to cope with that,'' Mr. Khan said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport