With just a little over two months left for ICC World Cup 2023, a team of ICC (International Cricket Council) officials are in India to inspect all 12 venues. The ICC team will recce all the venues including for warm-up games and suggest changes if required. The team began in Mumbai and moved to Ahmedabad which will host the big India vs Pakistan (IND vs PAK) and the final. Their next destination will be Hyderabad which will host five Pakistan matches.
World Cup 2023 begins on October 5 with England vs New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Warm-up games will begin on September 29 and will conclude on October 3.
The ICC team visited Mumbai on July 25 for a recce of Wankhede Stadium. They were satisfied with the preparations. The monsoon in India has affected most of the venues. But with two months still left, BCCI is confident that work will be completed.
“They are extremely happy with our planning. The only thing left to address from our side is the ticketing issue. We have called an Apex Council meeting on Monday to decide on pricing. We will inform the BCCI accordingly,” Amol Kale, the MCA president, told Cricbuzz.
Following Mumbai, the team visited Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram and Bengaluru on July 26, 27 & 28 respectively. While ICC teams were happy with the preparations of MA Chidambaram Stadium and M Chinnaswamy Stadium, they suggested a few changes in Greenfield Stadium. Thiruvananthapuram will host two warm-up games. ICC team wants Greenfield Stadium to have a few modifications in corporate boxes as well as player areas.
“They seemed satisfied with our facilities. We look forward to hearing from them if they have anything in mind. They will write to us,” a Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) official told Cricbuzz.
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While most of the stadiums are currently undertaking outfield work, the ICC’s focus is on improving operational matters. ICC has specific requirements inside the ground, security as well as player and match official areas. A broadcast specialist is also with the ICC team to suggest any changes needed.
The team will head to Hyderabad next before concluding all other remaining venues in a week.
World Cup 2023 Venues:
- Ahmedabad: Narendra Modi Stadium, (Tournament opener, India vs Pakistan & final)
- Bengaluru: M Chinnaswamy Stadium
- Chennai: MA Chidambaram Stadium
- Delhi: Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium
- Dharamsala: Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium
- Lucknow: Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium
- Hyderabad: Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Uppal
- Pune: Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium
- Kolkata: Eden Gardens
- Mumbai: Wankhede Stadium
- Guwahati: Barsapara Cricket Stadium (Warm-up only)
- Thiruvananthapuram: Greenfield International Stadium (Warm-up only)
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