As the drainage system at the Green Park drew flak following the abandonment of second- and third-day’s play, the BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla said that efforts are being taken to improve the facilities at the iconic stadium.
“Soon after reaching Kanpur today, I had a discussion with the officials of the state government, since the ground belongs to them, and discussed the road ahead. And, hopefully, we can get things sorted soon,” Shukla said on Monday.
Built in 1945, the Green Park has been hosting Test matches since 1952 and has so far hosted 23 red-ball fixtures. The stadium belongs to Uttar Pradesh government’s Sports Directorate, which leased it out to the UPCA following a Memorandum of Understanding. As per the MoU, the directorate charges Rs 1.25 crore per year as rent. Even though the stadium underwent renovation a few years ago, the drainage system, clearly, wasn’t improved.
Shukla, however, blamed it on torrential rain that continued for three days in a row. “This is an old ground and was among the five permanent Test centres. This is the first time in 80 years that we could not have any play for two days. But as history suggests, no match has been abandoned here,” Shukla said.
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“It’s just that due to so much rain, there was a bit of dampness. But there should not be hue and cry because when this ground was built, there was no technology. We have a modern stadium in Lucknow and are also building a stadium in Varanasi with hi-tech, modern technology. Here, too, we are having conversations with the authorities in terms of developing a system to soak the rainwater immediately,” Shukla said, adding: “But such a thing like this had never happened in Green Park, and this time, we suffered…”
With Bangladesh’s star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan featuring in his penultimate Test – which could eventually become his last if he does not play against South Africa at home next month as he had desired – there were speculations that Shakib could be felicitated by the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association.
But Shukla said, “We were under the impression that Shakib will play his last game at home next month. Officially, nothing has been informed to us about his retirement. If we hear anything formally, we will definitely think over it…”
Asked whether the Indian team will travel to Pakistan for Champions Trophy 2025, the board’s vice-president said that they will abide by the government’s directives and take a decision accordingly.
Source Agencies
