The Hindu : Sport : DDCA expresses inability to host ODI

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Friday, Apr 01, 2005

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DDCA expresses inability to host ODI

By Our Sports Reporter

NEW DELHI, MARCH 31. The Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) on Thursday expressed its inability to host the high-profile One-Day International cricket match between India and Pakistan to be held here on April 17. Citing various difficulties being faced by the DDCA in preparing the Ferozeshah Kotla ground for the series-ending match, its President, Arun Jaitley, said the DDCA Executive Committee had decided to refer the matter to the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

"There were so many agencies involved and considering all the aspects we thought we are not in a position to comply with all the demands," Mr. Jaitley said. He added that the demands made by the security agencies, in view of the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf's visit, were too stringent for the DDCA to meet.

Even as late evening developments on Thursday brought into the picture the Union Home Ministry, the DDCA, at least in its public stance, stuck to its position that it would not be able to host the match.

Final decision

The DDCA has now left the final decision to the Board. And the Board will have to get its Pakistani counterpart to agree to any alternative proposals, should Delhi be ruled out eventually as a venue for the match. On the basis of the Board's rotation policy, Nagpur had been kept as a stand-by venue and next in line could be Jaipur. The demands of the security agencies led to DDCA opting out of its hectic race against time to get the facilities ready for the match. On Wednesday, officials from the Home Ministry and Intelligence Bureau visited the stadium and submitted a list of guidelines, which the DDCA found too demanding to comply with.

"The security people wanted us to move out entire junk and building material of the ongoing construction before the start of the match," said a DDCA official. "We knew that the Pakistan President, Mr. Musharraf, was coming here to witness the match, but the demands of the security agencies were very difficult to meet,'' he added.

The visits by the Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, and the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Shahryar Khan, to the Kotla earlier this week and their comments about the readiness of the stadium had given positive signals about Delhi being able to hold the match as scheduled.

The DDCA was hoping to host the match with a reduced capacity since the stadium could not have been completed in time. The main concern seemed to centre around the pitch and the outfield once the Municipal Corporation looked to have found the way out to give approval even for an unfinished facility. On the pitch front, too, there was encouragement from the Board's Pitches and Grounds Committee Chairman, Venkat Sundaram, who found everything in order the other day.

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