ICC ‘satisfied’ with Eden Gardens’ facilities for T20 WC

The International Cricket Council on Thursday “expressed satisfaction” with the facilities at the iconic Eden Gardens ahead of the Men’s T20 World Cup, scheduled to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7.
A joint inspection team from the ICC and the BCCI visited the venue to review the stadium infrastructure, including the playing area, corporate boxes and other amenities.
“The ICC team visited the iconic ground, corporate boxes and looked into all the facilities at the stadium and expressed happiness and said the International cricket body is eagerly looking forward to host a successful World Cup,” stated the CAB.
The Eden Gardens is slated to host five group matches, including one of the three fixtures on the opening day. It is also set to host a Super Eight game and a semifinal, if Pakistan do not reach the last-four since their matches have been pre-assigned to Colombo.
Among the group fixtures, the venue is scheduled to host three of Bangladesh’s matches, though their participation remains uncertain.
Following a meeting with national team players, Bangladesh’s sports adviser Asif Nazrul on Thursday said the ICC’s assessment was not acceptable to them and indicated reluctance to travel to India, citing security concerns.
The concerns surfaced after pacer Mustafizur Rahman was withdrawn from the IPL on the BCCI’s instructions due to unspecified “developments all around”.
The ICC, however, has refused to relocate fixtures.
In case of a Bangladesh pullout, Scotland are next in line to replace them as per rankings.