ICC World Cup 2023: HPCA Stadium In Dharamsala Infested With Fungus As ICC Raises Concerns Ahead Of ICC World Cup

With less than three weeks remaining before the ICC World Cup 2023 gets underway, the BCCI is facing another big hurdle. The outfield of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamsala has come under the scanner for all the wrong reasons.

The HPCA Stadium is one of the ten venues where the World Cup matches will be played in the next couple of months. One of the most picturesque cricket venues in the world, Dharamsala is scheduled to host as many as five matches.

The venue will host the first game on October 7, two days after the tournament gets underway with the mouth-watering clash between England and New Zealand in Ahmedabad. Bangladesh and Afghanistan will be up against each other in Dharamsala on October 7. It will be followed by the match between England and Bangladesh on October 10.

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One week later, South Africa will lock horns against the Netherlands before Team India takes on New Zealand on October 22. The last World Cup match in Dharamsala will be played between Australia and New Zealand on October 28.

Concerns over HPCA Stadium outfield:

According to a report in The Times of India, the outfield of the HPCA Stadium has left the BCCI worried. The news outlet has reported that an inspection team from the International Cricket Council (ICC), headed by pitch consultant Andy Atkinson, has not given a satisfactory review of the Dharamsala outfield.

The reason behind not getting a satisfactory review is the presence of fungus in the outfield. A BCCI team is set to do another recce in the next few days to get a clearer picture of the state of the outfield at the HPCA Stadium. The BCCI and the HPCA are hopeful of dealing with the issue and getting the ground ready in time for the ICC ODI World Cup.

“Atkinson’s review was quite concerning. The outfield has been majorly affected by Grade IV fungal infestation. He has raised the issue with the BCCI operations team. The local authorities are looking into the issue,” a BCCI source told TOI.

“There’s an assurance given that the problem will be resolved by the time the World Cup comes around. The BCCI team will be doing a routine check by September 20 or this weekend. BCCI secretary Jay Shah may travel to Dharamsala to take stock of the situation,” the source added.

This is not the first time that the outfield of the HPCA Stadium has garnered attention for all the wrong reasons. Earlier this year, the Test match between India and Australia had to be shifted from Dharamsala to Indore after the re-laid outfield remained bald till a fortnight before the match. But after that, it hosted a couple of IPL games without facing any issues.