World Cup 2023: ICC Team visits India for final venue inspection: The ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 is just a couple of months away and the anticipation for the tournament is reaching new peaks with each passing day. The preparations in India for the marquee event are in full swing, with the World Cup 2023 set to begin on October 5.
In the latest development, the International Cricket Council (ICC) reconnaissance team is on a visit to India to do the final security checks of all the designated venues across India for the impending ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
The ICC team on a visit to India has experts from security, events and broadcast domain, who will be responsible for the conclusive assessment of the venues.
Reportedly, the team has accessed the Wankhede Stadium and seems to be pleased with the arrangement at the venue, which will host one of the semi-finals of the ICC World Cup 2023. The reconnaissance team has primarily offered advice on operational issues, such as ground requirements. The team also has to deal with the security of the stadium, the needs of the broadcasters, and the spaces for players and match officials.
The ICC team is currently in Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, which is one of the most important venues for the world cup, for their security inspection. The Narendra Modi Stadium will host the tournament opener, the most anticipated IND vs PAK and the Final of the World Cup 2023.
Notably, the team had reviewed the checks at the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai, Greenfield International Stadium in Trivandrum and M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru already on the 27th, 28th and 29th of July respectively.
They were satisfied with the preparations of the Chepauk Stadium and the Chinnaswamy Stadium, however, suggested a few tweaks for the Greenfield International Stadium.
The ICC team will head to Hyderabad after completing its inspection in Narendra Modi Stadium before heading to the north and northeast region of the country.
It is important to note that the security forces alarmed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) of security threats for a couple of scheduled matches. The most crucial one of those was the IND vs PAK fixture on October 15 in Ahmedabad. The date marks the beginning of the Navratri festival which is celebrated the whole night by playing Garba in Ahmedabad.
The police forces advised the BCCI to reschedule the IND vs PAK fixture in order to avoid the security mess.
The original schedule of the ICC World Cup 2023 was released a couple of weeks ago. The tournament is set to kickstart on October 5 with England playing New Zealand in Ahmedabad. The final of the event is scheduled on November 17 in Ahmedabad.
For more details head to ICC’s official website.