CA displeased with Green Park, ask for different venue

Cricket Australia (CA) has expressed its unhappiness over the facilities at Kanpur's Green Park stadium and demanded that the BCCI consider another test match venue for the Australia's tour in February. The demand from the Australian board comes as BCCI finalises the schedule for the four-Test series. A five-member CA delegation visited Kanpur and was apparently not pleased with several facilities including the dressing-rooms and the dining hall for players and officials.

The panel also raised concerns about the renovation work underway in the pavilion block and felt the five-star hotels in the city were not up to the mark. CA's worries were taken up by the BCCI's tours and fixtures committee during a meeting in New Delhi on Wednesday. Sources said the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) has been given an extra 15 days to fix the issues. The board has also kept Hyderabad's Uppal stadium as a back-up option.

"They had concerns about the dressing-room area, which they felt is too small. Especially considering that nowadays, all teams travel with a huge support staff, which the Green Park will struggle to accommodate in its present dressing room. CA is keen on the match being shifted but the members felt we should give UPCA some time to get its house in order," a board member who attended the meeting told The Indian Express. UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav is learnt to be backing his state's only Test venue and is adamant about keeping the match in Kanpur.

He has assured that the renovation work at Green Park, which comes under the jurisdiction of the state government, will be completed on time. "The UPCA has given us an assurance that they will try to finish the pending work on time. We've learned that the UP chief minister is personally taking interest. But if they do not fulfill the requirements in 15 days' time, we will be compelled to shift the match to Hyderabad," the source added. BCCI's chief administrative officer Ratnakar Shetty and cricket operations manager Suru Nayak had also visited and inspected the venue a few weeks ago.

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