World Cup 2023: ICC inspects venues at Bengaluru, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram

Ahead of the ODI World Cup, an inspection team from the International Cricket Council is checking the readiness of venues that will host the quadrennial extravaganza in October-November this year.

The ICC team, which is currently at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, has paid a visit to three venues in South Bengaluru, Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram, where practice matches will be held — and the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

The reconnaissance unit dropped in at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here on July 28, and expressed their satisfaction over the facilities.

“They were here on Friday, and were satisfied by our preparations. We have been hosting matches from the Duleep Trophy at the venue, and we are ready for the (World Cup) games,” a KSCA official told PTI.

Bengaluru is scheduled to host five matches, including India’s fixture against Netherlands and two games of Pakistan against Australia and New Zealand. India is set to begin their World Cup campaign on October 8 against five-time champions Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

The Chepauk will also host two other high-profile matches of Pakistan against South Africa and Afghanistan. The ICC team inspected the facilities at the stadium on July 26.

“Yes, they were here and it was the routine pre-tournament visit checking on the venue preparation. They have given an all-clear for us, and we will be in touch with the ICC in the coming days as well,” said a Tamil Nadu Cricket Association official.

The Greenfield Stadium will not host any main draw matches but the Kerala capital will see a few preparation games ahead of the World Cup. “We have recently hosted an ODI and a T20I match here. So, the experience will help us and we are also working on the recommendations of the ICC team to make further improvements,” said a Kerala Cricket Association official.

The Greenfield Stadium had hosted India’s one-dayer against Sri Lanka earlier this year and a T20I match against South Africa in September last year.

In the days to come, the ICC team will visit all the other venues that will host matches, including the practice games. The ICC team’s main focus will be assisting the host venues on matters like security inside the stadium, necessities of broadcast teams among others.

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