Cricket Lovers Disappointed As Barabati Stadium Ignored As Venue for Cricket World Cup

Bhubaneswar, June 28: The fixtures of the forthcoming ICC Cricket World Cup to be held in India has been announced, but Barabati Stadium in Cuttack has been left out as a venue, leaving fans disappointed.

The one-day international clashes will begin on October 5 this year when England takes on New Zealand in Ahmedabad. The venue will also play host to the India-Pakistan match on October 15. 

The tournament will be spread across the length and breadth of the country, but the historic Barabati Stadium, which has been witness to world cup matches earlier, has been left out. An indication in this regard was given in March this year when office bearers of the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) had expressed apprehension about Cuttack getting a match, blaming lack of international connectivity to Odisha as one of the reasons.

However, the argument had few takers, more so when Cuttack has played host to prestigious events. Barabati stadium was also selected as a venue to host the Women’s Cricket World Cup in 2013 along with Mumbai.

The exclusion, though, has come as a big setback, even as fans in Odisha had held out high hopes for Barabati as one of the venues when fixtures were announced yesterday.

Cricket expert and former Ranji player Pawan Agrawal blamed the pitch preparation at the Barabati stadium and lack of proactiveness from OCA as determining factors for Cuttack losing out. He was quoted in media as saying that the BCCI pitch curator was unimpressed with the stadium as the pitch is known for low-scoring matches.

Voices of disappointment also filled social media space. “It seems BCCI has completely forgotten #BarabatiStadium. After no IPL matches, the iconic cricket stadium finds no place in the fixture list. A big disappointment to all cricket lovers in the State,” Tweeted a cricket fan.

“Odisha is projecting itself as the sports capital of India, but it all sounds hollow now,” Tweeted another.

The World Cup will see 46 matches being played out in 10 stadiums. The semifinals will be played in Mumbai and Kolkata on November 15 and 16 respectively, while the final will be played at Ahmedabad on November 19.

The notable venues which have also been left out are Mohali, Ranchi, Kochi, Indore and Guwahati.