HPCA Dharamshala ready to host 5 World Cup matches

DHARAMSHALA: A day after the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the schedule for the upcoming Men's ODI World Cup 2023, to be played in India from October 5 to November 19, the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) on Wednesday stated that it is ready to host five matches of the mega event which includes an eye-catching India vs New Zealand clash on October 22.

"The team at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association is very excited to host five world cup matches. Eight Test-playing nations will be participating.

This is a historic moment in the history of HPCA, another feather and milestone in its incredible journey over the last 20 years and has been made possible by the Vision and hard work of our former Presidents Anurag Singh Thakur and Arun Dhumal, who have in the last 20 years worked relentlessly for the upliftment of the game and the cricketing infrastructure in the state," as per the official press release from HPCA.

They further went on to thank the BCCI president Roger Binny and BCCI secretary Jay Shah for allowing them to host the matches.

"We are very thankful to the BCCI and ICC for given us this prestigious opportunity for hosting the matches. Our sincere gratitude and thanks to BCCI president Roger Binny and Hony Secretary Jay Shah for choosing this venue for the world cup matches. We were continuously working and have improved the ground and the settings in the last year to make it one of the best outfields in the world and that was witnessed in the very successful IPL games held last month."

According to the official press release, "We have laid out the SIS Air a state of art air evacuation system, at HPCA's Dharamshala ground, with a combination of stunning cold season Ryegrass and shade-tolerant fine leaf Paspalam grass."

HPCA identified the need for a good drainage system and a grass variety suitable to the weather conditions in Dharamshala, thus creating one of the most advanced cricket grounds adding to the stunning beauty of the Dhauladhar mountains in the backdrop.

Air evacuation system not only can evacuate excess rainwater within no time but also helps to aerate the root zone which keeps the plant healthy all throughout.

Ryegrass was first seeded with temperatures between 3° and 15° in winter and later on, to cope with high temperatures in summer Paspalum was introduced considering its shade tolerance too. Work began in late September last year, however unpredictable and extended Himachal rains halted the work a few times till late October.

11,000 tonnes of material was excavated and replaced with a specifically selected river sand and gravel tested from a European lab, in Scotland. 6000 meters of speciality pipes were installed with a laser-based system to get the highest level of finish and accuracy. An underground reservoir and a plant room are a part of this whole system. Expert SIS Air engineers from Holland/UK supervised the whole operation done under the skilled team of GreaterTEN, Mumbai.

The whole work was accomplished in a record time of 75 days and the grass bed was ready for seeding. Ryegrass seeds imported from the USA, were seeded in the last week of December to get it ready by early March.

However, the weather had a different plan. Unforeseen weather conditions caused a little delay for the desired results. Dharamshala outfield has a curled artificial grass installed on the periphery to allow movement of different agencies at the game time thus protecting the playing surface. It has 9 wickets made under the most experienced hands of the chief curator.

The outfield can now cope up with any amount of rain and the game can be resumed in 15 minutes which is normally the time taken to put and take off the wicket covers at many centres across the country. "We are very appreciative of the team at HPCA for identifying the need for this system and getting it executed well in the background of the upcoming ICC ODI World Cup and thus creating this truly world-class facility.

Dharamshala always has been famous as the most beautiful cricket ground in the world and now has become the most advanced cricket ground to marching with its tagline - 'A destination for all seasons and reasons." the release said. Avnish Parmar Secretary of HPCA said, We are very excited at this huge opportunity and are ready to host these 5 big games featuring eight Test-playing nations for the first time in a 50-over format, the biggest arena for cricket (one-day matches).

"We are very confident and hopeful that the players from the eight countries, visitors, fans and Media will have a Very good memorable time at Dharamshala during the world cup and this will surely help to boost tourism in a big way and firmly put Himachal and Kangra on the world map."