ICC junks Eden Gardens, Dalmiya seeks second chance

Leaving the cricket authorities in this eastern city egg-faced, the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday junked the iconic Eden Gardens as the venue for a key World Cup match between India and England after it found on inspection that the stadium’s renovation might not meet the deadline.

The February 27 match will now be shifted to another unnamed venue, the ICC said, evoking strong reactions across the state of West Bengal.

Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Jagmohan Dalmiya told a press conference that he has written to the Indian cricket board president to take up the matter with ICC.

“I have written a letter to the BCCI president (Shashank Manohar) to take up the matter with ICC. We have not given up,? Dalmiya said.

He said ?we will continue with the progress of the work? and ?we strongly feel that we still hold a chance.”

He said till Feb 7 should be given to CAB to complete the work.

A venue inspection team which included the Tournament Director, members of the Central Organising Committe (COC) and the International Cricket Council (ICC), have on Thursday reported on the readiness of five outstanding venues scheduled to host matches in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

The expert report determined that Eden Gardens in Kolkata would not be ready within an acceptable time frame to host the India v England ICC Cricket World Cup match on 27 February.

Following the inspection tour, the three Sri Lanka venues ? Colombo, Hambantota and Pallekele ? as well as Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai have been approved subject to minor finishing work being completed within specified time frames not exceeding 14 days.

Of particular concern was the fact that host venue obligations in relation to cricket operations, media, broadcast and sponsorship facilities were not finalized and/or confirmed by the venue.

The ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) of the decision and, as host, the association will now consider an alternate venue for approval by the ICC.

Lorgat said: ?All venues had ample time in which to prepare for world cup matches. We had been understanding and had provided extensions to the deadline dates but unfortunately we are now at a point where we must carefully manage our risks.

?The COC had provided venues with a deadline of 30 November 2010 to complete all construction work and then to be match-ready by 31 December 2010. An extension was granted by the ICC for five venues, which were again inspected over the past week. Sadly, Eden Gardens in Kolkata was unable to meet the final deadline date of 25 January 2011.

?Regrettably, Eden Gardens has not made sufficient progress to justify the level of confidence required to confirm that the venue would be ready in good time. This was no easy decision to take and while it is most unfortunate, it is absolutely necessary,? said Lorgat.

The inspection team drew on the knowledge and experience of some of the leading experts in the field of stadium and ground preparation and the view was that Eden Gardens would not be ready by the 27 February.

The ICC has also recognised the challenge of relocating a scheduled match.

Tournament Director Ratnakar Shetty said: ?We will work with the new venue, the tour operators and the ticket distributors to manage the logistical challenges that will surely arise.?