India-West Indies third ODI in danger of moving out of Cuttack

Team India will renew their rivalry against West Indies later this year at home. A couple of months ago, India had toured the Caribbeans for a full-fledged series. The tour comprised of three T20Is, three ODIs and a couple of Tests. It was a highly successful tour for Virat Kohli and Co. as India did not lose a single game. The visitors thrashed the hosts 3-0 in T20Is, 2-0 in ODIs as well as Tests.

India will have a chance to extend their domination over West Indies in the upcoming winters too. The Men in Blue will host West Indies for three ODIs and as many T20Is. The series gets underway December this year. However, the final match that is the third ODI of the fortnight-long series is in danger of being shifted from its original venue.

Odisha’s Barabati Stadium in Cuttack is slated to host the third and final ODI on December 22. But the venue could lose the game due to the poor condition of the stadium. Earlier this year, the state of Odisha suffered great loss of property due to Cyclone Fani and the stadium also bore the brunt of the disaster. The floodlights, stands, press box and the old Pavilion were damaged.

According to Sports Cafe, Odisha Cricket Association is at a position of not being able to carry any recovery work due to lack of funds. More than 60 lights from the floodlight tower fell down, leaving the stadium unfit to host any game. Apart from that, the New Pavilion and Gallery No.5 lost their roofs and the digital scoreboard frame fell down. The association is yet to start the renovation work and is very much likely to lose the game this December.

Odisha Cricket Association seeks BCCI help

The report further stated that the Odisha Cricket Association had asked BCCI for five crore rupees to start the renovation work. However, the BCCI did not oblige as they remain adamant not to release a single penny until the end of BCCI AGM on October 23. Even if the BCCI allot the money in the coming days, it will be highly unlikely that the stadium will get ready in time.

“Even if we get the funds in October, it is impossible for us to do the recovery work as only floodlight work would take as much as one month. All eight towers will have to undergo the changes and all the bulbs need to be changed. It would have been alright to replace a few but after Kapil Dev’s company checked the bulbs, they found out that total installation is required in order to make the light properly functional,” an OCA functionary told.

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