India-Pakistan Match, ICC T20 WC 2016 Kolkata to replace Dharamsala
After major confusion over the India-Pakistan World T-20 group stage match, Kolkata has replaced Dharamsala as the new venue. The iconic Eden Gardens will play host to one of international cricket’s fiercest rivalries on March 19.
Also read: ICC World T20 2016 Venue List and Groups
A source close to the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) said, “The BCCI informed us about PCB’s current plight, with regard to team security, we are more than happy that a match of this magnitude will be held here. This will put us on the radar more, as we are also hosting the finals.”
ICC CEO Dave Richardson said, “It is unfortunate that the Himachal Pradesh government has failed to promise security for a match of this magnitude. Keeping that in mind, we have changed the match venue to Kolkata. We tried to clear the issue with the state government, but we couldn’t reach a mutual understanding. The West Bengal State government has promised full security, along with all other host states. They will be delivering security of the highest level. to host the tournament in a secure environment.”
Also read: ICC World T20 India vs Pakistan: Pakistan not to participate until 'foolproof security' assured, says Pakistan interior minister
He added, “For the spectators who booked tickets for the Dharamasala match, they will receive a full refund immediately.”
According to a development last night, other venues such as Mohali and Bengaluru were already being considered.
Previously, West Bengal Chief Minister expressed her willingness to host bilateral talks between both cricket boards in Kolkata. During a media interaction, she had said, “We look forward to host the meetings here in Kolkata, if it is not possible in Mumbai. The prospect of an India/Pakistan match is something for the people and we will thrive to bring it here.”
The Pakistan national team were supposed to arrive in Kolkata today, ahead of their warm-up fixtures against Bengal and Sri-Lanka. However, their reluctance to play in Himachal Pradesh have stalled those preparations.
Earlier, PCB Chairman Shahryar Khan said, “The Himachal Pradesh chief minister has not committed for the match and the Indian government has also not come up with any assuring statement... Under the prevailing circumstances how can we allow our team to play there.”
As per the initial schedule, Pakistan was supposed to leave for Dharamsala on March 17, instead they will now extend their stay in Kolkata to March 20. The CAB source added, “Logistically also this makes more sense to both the team and organisers as they will not have shift base to another place. We are very happy with this particular development.”