The deep uncertainty over the T20 World Cup’s most-awaited match between India and Pakistan has ended with the International Cricket Council shifting the venue from Dharamsala to Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
“A decision has been taken to relocate the India-Pakistan match from Dharamsala to Kolkata due to security reasons. The match will now be played at the same time and date (March 19, 7.30 pm),” ICC Chief Executive Officer Dave Richardson said at a hurriedly-convened Press conference on Wednesday.
The match fell into the doldrums after Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh threw a spanner in the works by saying that his Government may not be in a position to provide adequate security to the visiting team. An enraged BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur, who hails from Himachal, accused Singh of playing dirty politics.
Sources in the HPCA said that Pakistan’s Federal Investigative Agency team, which had come to inspect the arrangements on Monday, had left satisfied with the stadium security but carried doubts about the surrounds, especially with the State Government warning of demonstration and attempts to disrupt the peaceful conduct of the match.
Richardson said the ICC was not left with any choice but to move the match out of the hill city. “The decision was not taken lightly. The ICC and the BCCI understand the disappointment that is likely to be felt by many over the decision to move the match. But the safety and security of the event is of paramount importance to the ICC and we have taken into consideration the concerns shared with us by our security advisors as well as Pakistan Cricket Board,” he said.
“Our concerns relate both to uncertainty as to the level of those threats as well as the level of commitment to implement any security plan developed to mitigate such treats,” he added.
Richardson said that the ICC has now been assured by relevant State authorities that all adequate security measures are in place and will be implemented to ensure that the event is staged in a safe and secure environment for all stakeholders.”
The announcement will pave the way for the Pakistan team’s arrival in India which was put on hold by the PCB for a day. Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif gave the go-ahead on Wednesday, a day after the team was scheduled to leave for the tournament. The squad is now expected to land late night and fly straight to Kolkata.
The concerned PCB had sought a venue shift from the ICC, giving Mohali and Kolkata as their preferences. “Our decision has been conveyed to the PCB,” Richardson said, adding that neither the BCCI nor the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association would face any sanction. “It is too early to take any disciplinary action against State association. If we didn’t have the match then we would have had more grounds but here we have relocated the match,” he pointed out.
India, he said, is a big and complicated country and there are challenges with every ICC event. “(The decision to shift the match to Kolkata) is not unprecedented. It’s unfortunate these concerns were raised. It would have been better if they had been raised early. It’s a difficult decision. We wanted to stick to the original plan but we were forced into (relocation),” he added.