Cricket-loving India suffered a sporting humiliation on Thursday when its most famous ground, Eden Gardens in Kolkata, was declared unfit to host its first fixture of next month’s World Cup.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) said another stadium would have to be found to hold the India-England clash on February 27 after a renovation programme at Eden Gardens fell months behind schedule.

“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,” ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat said in a statement.

The ICC did not say where the game would be played and said it would face a “challenge” to relocate the game because of last-minute ticketing and travel requirements.

Three other World Cup fixtures, which runs from February 19 to April 2 in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, are also scheduled to take place at the ground.

The decision was a major blow for India’s image and the estimated 64,000 spectators who were expected to pack the legendary stadium, which has been undergoing a major renovation.

The ruling echoed the chaotic run-up to New Delhi’s 2010 Commonwealth Games, which instead of marking the arrival of a new, modern India on the world stage became a national embarrassment of delays, shoddy workmanship and alleged corruption.

“All venues had ample time in which to prepare for World Cup matches,” said Lorgat.

“We had been understanding and had provided extensions to the deadline dates but unfortunately we are now at a point where we must carefully manage our risks.”

The ICC said concerns were mainly over “cricket operations, media, broadcast and sponsorship facilities” that were not finalised or confirmed by the venue.

In recent weeks, fears had grown over Edens Gardens as it remained a chaotic scene of cranes, rubble, dust and bare concrete.

Hundreds of labourers wearing virtually no safety equipment have been toiling day and night to finish off two new blocks of stands which are still covered in scaffolding.

When an agency reporter visited in early January, seats had yet to be fitted in many tiers at the ground, which is celebrated as one of the great pilgrimage sites of international cricket.

Until Thursday’s ICC ruling, Indian organisers had been dismissing reports about problems at Eden Gardens as scare-mongering by the media.

Jagmohan Dalmiya, president of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) which runs Eden Gardens, said on Tuesday that the ground would host the match without difficulty.

“It appears that ICC team is happy after the inspection of the venue. The match is on 27th, we have to finish the work before the match,” he said.

In Thursday’s statement from the ICC, tournament director Ratnakar Shetty said: “We will work with the new venue, the tour operators and the ticket distributors to manage the logistical challenges that will surely arise.”

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which oversees the multi-billion-dollar sport in India and is seen as dominating the game worldwide, distanced it from the failure to rebuild Eden Gardens on time.

“I don’t think the BCCI should be blamed for this,” BCCI spokesman Rajiv Shukla said.

“These things happen. I am sure the organising committee will choose a suitable venue soon for that game. But there is no doubt the remaining matches in Kolkata will be held on schedule.”

The Proteas are keen to have their former star batsman Gary Kirsten as national team’s coach next year, but Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is reportedly among those pushing to have the South African’s contract as Indian coach renewed.

Kirsten had gained respect and popularity after taking over as coach of the Indian side in March 2008, a weekly said, adding that this was boosted by India’s victory against Australia earlier this month in Test series.

With Corrie van Zyl having announced his decision to retire as South African coach after the World Cup in March next year, Kirsten is one of those being eyed for the position by Cricket South Africa (CSA), according to insiders.

But whether Kirsten would be available when his contract with India ends after the World Cup, will also depend on India’s performance in the tournament.

Current Indian players, especially the senior members of the team like Sachin Tendulkar and Dhoni are believed to be so impressed with Kirsten that they might even put pressure on the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) to offer him a new contract, the weekly reported.

It further said that Kirsten would be able to dictate his own pay cheque if India won the tournament.

Newly-appointed ICC president Sharad Pawar on Thursday said that immediate resumption of cricket ties between India and Pakistan is not possible.

“Immediate ties between both countries is not possible. It is not in the hands of the cricket boards. It is a diplomatic issue. This is a decision taken by the Indian government,” Pawar said.

Asked about demands for the introduction of day-night Tests to save the longer format of the game, Pawar said the “issue has not reached his ear”.

“We are only administrators. If needed, I will let the experts take a call (on the issue),” he said.

To a query whether the ICC was mulling to shift its headquarters back to England, Pawar said, “In England, there are 40 per cent taxes while there are no taxes in Dubai. The moment England thinks similarly about cricket we will consider it.”

Pawar said he was confident about BCCI president Shashank Manohar’s integrity to handle the controversial Lalit Modi issue.

Almost a month after Indian cricketers made headlines for rejecting a controversial WADA clause, Indian Cricket Board on Wednesday launched its anti-doping education programme with a day-long workshop for the physiotherapists.

The workshop was conducted by Dr Vece Paes, Dr Kinjal Suratwala and Dr Nitin Patel, who briefed on the various points about the Anti-Doping code and also distributed copies of hand books provided by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) to the participants, BCCI Secretary N Srinivasan said in a press release.

The Board will organise such seminars for every association for the benefit of the support staff as well as players in each of their teams during the course of the next 2-3 months.

India’s top cricketers had refused to sign the ‘whereabouts’ clause of WADA’s anti-doping code, claiming that it infringed on their privacy and compromised their security.

The International Cricket Council then formed a special panel, which included former captain Anil Kumble and Srinivasan, to resolve the vexed issue. The panel will have its first meeting on September 6 and 7.

The BCCI has decided to start an invitational ‘Inter-Corporate National Cricket Tournament’ with a prize money of Rs one crore to encourage business houses and public and private sector undertakings to employ cricketers in their organisations.

Noting that the employment avenues for cricketers have “declined” over the past few years, BCCI treasurer M P Pandove said “the step by the Board will re-generate employment for players in various firms.”

“To ensure that the corporate houses employ the cricketers, eligibility criteria for participation contains that only the regular employees of the business institutions take part in it,” he said.

For the current year, the tournament has been scheduled to be played from September one to eight at Bangalore, Mohali and Vizag. The matches will be a day-night affair and 50-overs a side.

The only exception is made for the under-19 event, where the corporates can field maximum two such players who are on the scholarship and not on regular payroll, Pandove said.

For the first year, as many as 12 teams have been invited by the BCCI to take part in the tournament, he said.

“The board may increase the number in the next coming years,” he said.

Pandove said Mohali has been alotted four matches, including the second semi-final to be played on September six.

Prominent players, who will participate in the tournament, include–M S Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, R P Singh, Rahul Dravid and Wasim Jaffer.

Pandove, who is also Honorary Secretary of Punjab Cricket Association (PCA), expressed his dissatisfaction over the fitness level of Punjab players playing at various levels.

He added that the PCA had recently conducted a camp to improve the fitness levels of the players.

Sahara will be the title sponsors of the newly introduced 12-team BCCI Corporate Trophy which will start in four centres on September 1. 

Four matches are scheduled on the opening day of the tournament for the Sahara Corporate Trophy at Mohali (Group A), Vishakhapatnam (Group B), Dharamsala (Group C) and Bangalore (Group D).

Three teams make up each group and the winners of each pool would enter the semi finals to be held on September 5 and 6 at Bangalore and Mohali.

Nimbus Communications is the media partner for the event and three preliminary matches, the two semi finals and the final would be shown live on Neo Sport, BCCI secretary N Srinivasan said in a statement today.

The winners of the September 8 final at Bangalore are to receive Rs one crore as prize money while the runners-up would get Rs 50 lakh.

The man of the series would pocket Rs two lakh and the man of the match Rs 50,000, the release added.

The match schedule:

Sep 1: ITC v Air India – Blue, Mohali (Group A); BPCL v MRF, Vizag (Group B); Tata SC vs All India Public Sector Sports Promotion Board, Dharamsala (Group C); BSNL vs Air India Red, Bangalore (Group D).

Sep 2: ITC vs Indian Revenue, Mohali; MRF vs ONGC, Vizag; AIPSSPB vs Indian Oil, Dharamsala; BSNL vs India Cements, Bangalore.

Sep 3: Indian Revenue vs Air India Blue, Mohali; BPCL vs ONGC, Vizag; Tata SC vs Indian Oil, Dharamsala; India Cements vs Air India – Red, Bangalore.

Sep 5: 1st semi-final (B1 v D1), Bangalore. Sep 6: 2nd semi-final (A1 vs C1), Mohali. Sep 8: Final at Bangalore.

India’s cricket chiefs have forced a change in next month’s tri-series in Sri Lanka that will leave Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men playing two gruelling back-to-back matches.

The Indians were originally scheduled to play New Zealand on September 10 and hosts Sri Lanka two days later on September 12 in the preliminary stage of the series in Colombo.

But the Indian board had the New Zealand game pushed back by a day to September 11 so that top stars are available for the entire duration of a domestic one-day tournament ending in Bangalore on September 8.

“The change has been made at the request of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI),” Sri Lanka Cricket secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said.

The Indian team will fly into Colombo on September 9, a day after the tri-series opens at the Premadasa stadium with a match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

India’s matches against the Black Caps on September 11 and Sri Lanka the next day will be followed by the final on September 14.

Dhoni’s team, currently enjoying a rare month-long break, will use the tri-series to warm up for the Champions Trophy in South Africa from September 22-October 5.

Sports Minister MS Gill, on Monday, opposed the BCCI stance on the “whereabout” clause of the World Anti-Doping Agency and said the cricketers should fall in line without cribbing.

Dismissing the claim that the clause, which requires players to inform their whereabouts three months in advance for out-of-competition testing, was an infringement on their privacy, Gill said that was not the case.

“We have accepted WADA regulatory testing and we adhere to it. Sportsperson should be clear in one thing that it is not getting into someone’s life,” Gill told reporters after the state sports ministers’ conference here.

The voice of dissent among the cricketers seemed to have surprised the Minister who pointed out that most of the sportspersons across the world have already signed it.

“All sportsperson should adhere to it and happily follow it as so many sports federations and players are following it,” Gill said.

The “whereabout” clause of the WADA code has ruffled many feathers here with the BCCI convening an emergency working committee meeting in Mumbai, on Sunday, attended by India captain MS Dhoni and senior players Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh.

After the meeting, BCCI President Shashank Manohar said the Board had no issues with out-of-competition testing of the 11 cricketers in the WADA pool but the “whereabout” clause was not only an infringement of their privacy but also posed security risks.

The BCCI has asked ICC, a WADA signatory, to explore the possibilities of having a separate anti-doping mechanism of its own.

Gill, however, felt that WADA was championing a good cause and every one should support its bid for a dope-free world.

“We should support WADA in its cause. The world is concerned about doping and we should support WADA,” Gill said.

The Sports Minister said India was serious about it and it was an achievement in itself to have a WADA-accredited National Dope Testing Laboratory in the capital.

“Last year, we got the accreditation from WADA after so much effort and we are proud to be associated with it.

“We have set up a dope testing laboratory next to Nehru Stadium and now Sweden is also sending samples of their players for testing. We should be proud of it,” Gill added.

Having decided to support its players on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s contentious ‘whereabouts’ clause, the BCCI has now told the ICC that any negotiations on the issue would be between ICC and WADA, and not with BCCI. India’s top cricketers have refused to accept the international clause requiring sportspersons to disclose their whereabouts in advance.

Board president Shashank Manohar refused to be drawn into stating whether India was once again gearing up for a clash with the sport’s parent body. However, as much as Manohar sought to bring peaceful negotiations to the table, it remains clear that BCCI is treading a path which no other member board of ICC was openly willing to take.

It is not just the Indian players who are apprehensive about WADA’s ‘out-of-competition testing’ clause. Players from other countries too felt equally insecure before signing up. However, it is only the Indian cricketers who have openly spoken about the subject.

“We believe the clause with regard to whereabouts of cricketers is unreasonable for three reasons. First, some (Indian) cricketers have security cover, and when you have such cover, you cannot disclose your whereabouts to a third person. Second, the privacy of individuals cannot be invaded. Third, the Indian constitution guarantees every citizen his privacy,” Manohar said after BCCI’s working committee meeting on Sunday where five senior cricketers — Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh — were present along with ICC officials.

Manohar subsequently also provided a solution to the deadlock in the meeting, certainly the players’ point of view, when he added: “We can appreciate players being tested even when they are not playing. But if ICC or WADA want to test the players, they can inform the board which will get the players at the required location within 24 hours. This is our suggestion.”

A couple of things Manohar said might not find many takers in the international sporting community. He referred to some Indian cricketers having security cover because of which their whereabouts were difficult to divulge. But the biggest names in world sport, like Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Lance Armstrong, too have agreed to the same WADA norms. They have done so despite being as apprehensive about it as India’s superstar cricketers.

Setting the stage for a confrontation, the Board of Control for Cricket in India told the International Cricket Council during a meeting in Mumbai on Sunday that it was sticking by its cricketers who have refused to accept an international anti-doping clause requiring sportspersons to disclose their whereabouts in advance.

The move may open a Pandora’s box for ICC as cricketers from other countries too may now demand the right to opt out.

The world body now has little choice but to wait until another round of talks to hammer out a solution. That, however, will not be until early September when ICC officials will meet members of the Federation of International Cricketers Association (FICA), other world players associations and officials of the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) in London.

Sources within BCCI told TOI that the board suggested to the ICC that it snap ties with Wada and create an independent anti-doping agency, specific to cricket. The logic apparently is that BCCI doesn’t expect Wada to relent on the whereabouts clause, especially since even powerful bodies like Fifa (soccer) and ATP (tennis) haven’t been able to make it blink. Wada has already stated that cricket is not above other sports. Some, however, argue that cricket doesn’t really need Wada since it is not an Olympic sport.

Other cricketing nations have agreed to the Wada clause, but are likely to backtrack if they see an exception being made for India. The ICC may thus be left with no option but to go along with BCCI’s stand, especially given that the bulk of the game’s revenues globally are derived from India. However, BCCI officials said on the record that matters had not yet reached such a pass.

Indian cricketers have already missed the first deadline — July 31 — set by Wada to comply with the whereabouts clause.