The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Another cricket stadium for Kerala on cards

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Thursday, Nov 02, 2006
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Another cricket stadium for Kerala on cards

KOZHIKODE: Kerala could have another international cricket venue before long, according to the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) president S. Karunakaran Nair.

Speaking to reporters here on Wednesday, he said the KCA was hopeful that the Corporation Stadium in Kozhikode could host international cricket matches. "We had a preliminary round of discussions with the Corporation authorities and we are happy that we received a positive

response from them," he said. "We will have another meeting with them, a week later perhaps."

There was of course a long way to go before the stadium here would be ready to host big time cricket, but Nair said that if everything went well, it could happen even within a year. "It is from this area of Kerala, Malabar, that we get most fans for the international matches in Kochi, so the KCA feels that Kozhikode should be the second venue for international cricket in the State," he said.

"The advantages of having two venues is that you will never lose the opportunity of host the matches the BCCI allots you, for at least one of the grounds will be at your disposal. Once we missed out on a one-dayer because the Kochi stadium was unavailable."

He allayed fears that cricket would come in the way of other games, like football, at the Corporation Stadium. "Cricket and football, or any other sport, can happily co-exist," he said, citing the example of the MCG in Melbourne.

"In fact in our next meeting with the Corporation authorities, we will discuss the issue with officials of other sports organisations in Kozhikode."

Nair also spoke about the development plans of the KCA. "Soon we will have cricket grounds at Thalassery and Angadipuram, which could host domestic matches," he said. "Our aim is to provide all the 14 districts of the State with training facilities." — Principal Correspondent

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