As the long-awaited ICC men’s ODI World Cup schedule was released on Tuesday, Chennai’s M.A. Chidambaram Stadium lost out on one of the marquee clashes, with Kolkata’s iconic Eden Gardens emerging as the big winner.
As reported by Sportstar recently, the provisional fixtures had listed Chennai as a semifinal host in the middle of November along with Mumbai.
However, when the official schedule was released, Chepauk was out and Eden was in.
TNCA’s explanation
It is understood that the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) expressed its inability to hold the tie because of the North-East monsoon that is usually active from late October to mid-December.
“The monsoon sets around October 20 (plus or minus seven days), and there are chances of cyclones as well in November, That’s why all our matches have been scheduled earlier,” said a senior TNCA official.
Chennai will host five matches, including India’s opening game against Australia on October 8. The last match, featuring South Africa and Pakistan, will be held on October 27.
The Eden Gardens could now host the high-profile India-Pakistan clash should both teams qualify.
According to an ICC statement, in case Pakistan qualifies for the last four, it will play in Kolkata irrespective of its place in the standings and its opponent. Similarly, if India qualifies, it will play at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai against any other team except Pakistan.
“But if there is a situation in which India and Pakistan are set to meet in the last four - as they did in the 2011 edition (in Mohali) - then Kolkata will get the privilege of hosting the iconic clash of the tournament. While ICC did not spell out the reason, it will be due to the possibility of opposition from political and social circles to let Pakistan play in Mumbai.
The last time the Eden Gardens hosted an ODI World Cup semifinal - in the 1996 edition between India and Sri Lanka - it was marred by the crowd trouble during India’s sorry run-chase that resulted in the match being awarded to Sri Lanka. “
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