Updated on
Summary
An ICC inspection team has raised serious concerns over the preparedness of two key World Cup venues Eden Gardens in Kolkata and the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai in time for the tournament, which begins on February 19, 2011. Its interim report says the original November 30 deadline for completion of construction, which neither stadium has met, is likely to be over-run by at least a month and warns that, if construction at these venues is not completed by January 15, it is not possible to confirm that the venues will be in a suitable condition to be handed over by January 31.As per media reports, the international governing body's inspection team, headed by ICC events manager Chris Tetley, in an interim report, had said that work at the two stadiums, that had missed the original November 30 deadline, was likely to over-run by at least a month. The team had visited the Wankhede and the Eden Gardens on December 8 and 9 respectively. The ICC team also warned that if the stadiums were still incomplete by January 15, it is not possible to confirm that the venues will be in a suitable condition to be handed over by January 31. The Eden Gardens would host four matches: India vs England (February 27), Ireland v South Africa (March 15), Ireland v Netherlands (March 18) and Kenya v Zimbabwe (March 20), while the Wankhede stadium would host three matches: Canada vs New Zealand (March 13), New Zealand vs Sri Lanka (March 18) and the final on April 2.
