ICC's chief pitch consultant Andy Atkinson on Monday expressed satisfaction over the efforts being made to improve the Ferozeshah Kotla pitch, which was banned for one year from hosting international matches after the abandoned India-Sri Lanka game last year.
Atkinson visited Kotla here this morning and inspected the pitch and held discussions with DDCA officials and the local curator.
"I am happy with the progress made by the DDCA. Pitch seems to be in good condition. I will keep on coming here to inspect the pitch till the next year's World Cup," said Atkinson.
The ICC official said that he will next visit Kotla in November during Ranji matches.
"I will be here next in November during Ranji matches. I'll observe how the pitch behaves," he said.
ICC venue consultant Eugene Van Vuuren accompanied Atkinson during his visit.
Kotla is scheduled to host four World Cup matches during the February 19-March 30 mega-event, to be co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
In January, the ICC had slapped a one-year ban on Kotla, barring it from hosting any international matches till December 2010.
The BCCI had appealed against the ban but the ICC rejected the plea. In December last year, the ODI between India and Sri Lanka was abandoned because of unfit pitch conditions.
© 2024 Rediff.com -