Eden Gardens retains hosting status, to host 3 matches
The Eden Gardens Cricket Stadium in Kolkata, India, has succeeded in retaining the right to host matches during the upcoming International Cricket World Cup 2011. However, the much debated http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750-England match will be relocated. The International Cricket
Council (ICC) has announced that Eden Gardens will host the other three matches of the World Cup scheduled there.
The Eden Gardens will now host a South Africa-Ireland match on March 15, Ireland-Netherland match on http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bengal-c771 (CAB) will mourn the loss of the significant India-England match, scheduled
for March 22 on the Eden Gardens as it was to be one of the more earning and more popular matches in the city.
In light of its three-member inspection team review of the venue’s preparations to host the matches, ICC chief http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Haroon-Lorgat-c61719 said, “I have received a preliminary report and we are pleased with the progress made since January 25 and if that pace of work in
maintained, we believe that the stadium will be ready for the games in March.”
The ICC had given a January 31 deadline to the three host countries to complete all necessary preparations of the World Cup venues. However, the three hosts – http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747 and India – were not able to show satisfactory preparation to the ICC.
The council had to lower the criteria and decided to approve some venues with acceptable preparations. However, the Eden Gardens Stadium was not even ready to come up to the ICC’s lower set of standards. The construction work was too slow and the ICC announced
on January 25 that the stadium would not be allowed to host any matches. The ICC asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to relocate all the four matches that were to be played at the stadium. This was a great shock to the CAB and considered
it a conspiracy against it.
There were widespread protests against the ICC’s decision in Kolkata and the BCCI and CAB appealed to the ICC for more time. The ICC moved the India-England match to Bangalore, but announced at the same time that if the stadium was ready by February 5, it
would be able to host the other three games.
Now the ICC has allowed the CAB to host three games at the Eden Gardens. The Bengalis are still upset but are happy to have at least three games in their state.
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