Eden Gardens Eden Gardens, pictured here in December, will not host England's World Cup fixture against the hosts India.
The International Cricket Council today ruled out Calcutta's Eden Gardens as the venue for the cricket World Cup group match between India and England on 27 February, saying it would not be ready in time.
The ICC's chief executive, Haroon Lorgat, informed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) of the decision and said a new venue is expected to be proposed soon.
Lorgat said all venues had been given ample time to prepare for the World Cup matches, including deadline extensions, "but unfortunately we are now at a point where we must carefully manage our risks".
"Regrettably, Eden Gardens has not made sufficient progress to justify the level of confidence required to confirm that the venue would be ready in good time," Lorgat said. "This was no easy decision to take and while it is most unfortunate, it is absolutely necessary."
An ICC inspection team had visited Eden Gardens on Tuesday to check on progress at the venue, which is also due to hold three other matches during the tournament being jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
"We will work with the new venue, the tour operators and the ticket distributors to manage the logistical challenges that will surely arise," the tournament director, Ratnakar Shetty said.
The ICC said in a statement that Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium as well as three Sri Lankan venues were cleared after similar inspections.
Sri Lanka's Colombo, Hambantota and Pallekele had been approved subject to minor finishing work being completed within 14 days.
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