Green Park revamp on back burner

Hosting an international match seems to be a distant dream for one of the oldest Test centres in India, the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur. This is because its revamp is yet to start, and once that happens, it is expected to take at least two years to complete.

- Sharad Deep

There was much hue and cry when the International Cricket Council (ICC) awarded one demerit point to the venue after not a single ball could be bowled on the first three days of the Test match between India and Bangladesh even though there was rain in September last. The reason for this was a ‘wet outfield’ due to the overnight rains. Besides other problems, the drainage system was choked.

Despite hurricane efforts put in by the stadium authorities, the situation remains deplorable. As expected, the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association once again came up with a big plan about revamping of the stadium and even BCCI's vice-president and former secretary of the UPCA, Rajiv Shukla promised to take up the issue on a war footing.

But in reality even after nine months since September's ‘hotchpotch’ during the Test match, nothing serious has been done so far about the revamp. Immediately after this, a meeting of the UPCA and the district administration in Kanpur discussed the issue in presence of the officials of the Uttar Pradesh Sports Directorate, which owns the stadium. And that is how far things proceeded.