PCB team inspects Guwahati stadium ahead of Indo-Pak series

Guwahati, Sept 23 : A two member team of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) visited Guwahati on Saturday to examine the venue and security arrangements made for the Pakistani team for the one-day-international match scheduled to be held in November this year.

The team comprised of PCB's technical officer Zakir Khan, who is also a former Test cricketer, and security expert Sohail Khan.

The duo, accompanied by Suru Nayak of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), also visited the hotel where Pakistani team will stay.

Interacting with the media after their inspection, Zakir Khan said, “There will be another team of the BCCI to inspect and look at the facilities, and have a final say about it."

He added that the ground has changed a lot since the last match his country played in Guwahati in 1980.

"I believe there have been a lot of rains recently. The ground is being upgraded and renovated at the moment. So, it is too early to comment on the conditions as to what will happen,” he said.

The PCB was concerned about the security arrangements because of a history of violence in the stadium by the crowd.

Police had to fire tear gas to disperse violent spectators after bad weather forced the fifth one-dayer between India and England to be abandoned without a ball being bowled in April 2006.

Missiles were thrown on to the pitch, advertising hoardings were set on fire and policemen attacked with water bottles and bamboo poles after play was called off due to overnight rain and poor ground conditions. (With inputs from ANI)

Regions: