ICC okays Eden Gardens, as Indian authorities race against time to complete World Cup venues
A 27-member International Cricket Council (ICC) inspection team, headed by pitch consultant Andy Atkinson, is currently in the process of evaluating stadiums in South Asia that will be hosting the 2011 World Cup. The inspection
team has concluded its tours of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747 on Friday.
Today, the team completed its inspection of Eden Gardens in Kolkata, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Netherlands-c753 on March
18 and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Zimbabwe-c3045 on March 20.) The inspection of Eden Gardens marked the final stop in the team’s journey across all eight Indian venues. The inspection team – comprising individual units concerned with cricket operations, commerce, grounds, legal,
security, broadcast and media – met with Cricket Association of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bengal-c771 (CAB) officials, the pitch curator, ground staff, and police officials. They also visited the Jadavpar University campus, a practice venue at Salt Lake, and met with the city police commissioner
at police headquarters in Lalbazaar.
ICC Media and Communications Operation Manager Sami-ul-Hasan said that the inspection team was not allowed to speak with the media about its findings.
However, Biswarup Dey, joint secretary of the CAB, revealed that the "ICC is happy with the progress of work at Eden Gardens" and that the inspection team was “particularly impressed to see the dressing room layout.” He also said
that the team was satisfied with the Kolkata Police’s security arrangements. Cricket teams will be flown from their hotels to the stadium by helicopter.
The inspection team will submit a final report to the ICC after completing the Bangladesh leg of its tour.
Atkinson and his deputy David Eugene had earlier visited Eden Gardens in September this year and urged Kolkata authorities to speed up renovation work at the venue in time for the World Cup. The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB)
had assured ICC authorities and cricket enthusiasts that the venue would be ready by February 27, in time for the first match to be held at Eden Gardens. Before the inspection team’s visit to Kolkata, CAB chief executive http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Jagmohan-Dalmiya-c65287 assured them that
the delayed construction work at Eden Garden would not be a “cause for concern.” Dalmiya told reporters that the renovation work would continue until the very last moment to make “everything perfect” for show-time in February.
Now, however, Dey has expressed confidence that the stadium will be ready much sooner. "Considering that Rs 50 crore has been spent over six months in civil engineering work, we hope that the stadium will be ready by January 15,
more than a month before the first match is scheduled to take place here," he said.
Eden Gardens - home of the Indian Premier League’s Kolkata http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Knight-c71599 Riders - is the largest cricket stadium in India. However, the renovations that are underway will reduce the stadium’s seating capacity from 85,000 to 60,000, as
the original concrete galleries are being replaced by more comfortable bucket seats. Also undergoing major overhaul are the dressing rooms, furniture, lighting, air-condition, and the stadium’s floodlights – which were the first floodlights to be installed
in a cricket ground in the subcontinent 17 years ago.
Eden Gardens is not the only World Cup venue in India that is undergoing renovation; the Wankhede Stadium in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mumbai-c820 and the MAC Stadium in Chennai are currently under-construction as well.
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