If you thought the fuss surrounding the Wankhede stadium, the venue for the April 2 World Cup final, has died a natural death, think again.
News on the cricketing grapevine is that the final could yet be shifted to either the Eden Gardens in Kolkata or the M.A.
Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
And that’s all thanks to the Shiv Sena, who claims
to have planned protests if Pakistan reach the final which is scheduled to be played in Mumbai. It is a threat the BCCI is not taking lightly.
If Pakistan finish fourth in Group A, they will have to travel to Ahmedabad for the quarterfinal. Visas for Pakistan’s players were cleared last week, but an incident-free final is not guaranteed.
“All I can say now is that the venue is ready for the final. We don’t want to comment on the threat
issue," said tournament director Prof. Ratnakar Shetty. "You all know what our stance is when it comes to Pakistan playing in Mumbai. As far as the World Cup final is concerned, if Pakistan are to play, then the plan of action will be decided by Bal Thackeray," said Murali Manohar Johsi in a statement.
"I think we have all bases covered if Pakistan are to play in Mumbai. All precautions have been taken and necessary permissions have been taken from the central government. At this stage, for the final to be moved out is a slim possibility but nothing can be ruled out,” said a senior BCCI official.
The last time Pakistan was scheduled to play in Mumbai was in a fivematch ODI bilateral series with India. Sena protestors dug up the Wankhede wicket, an act of vandalism that finally led to the series being called off.
The Eden Gardens venue was earlier deemed unfit for the India-England match, which was later shifted to Bengaluru. But Eden will be hosting other matches on March 15, 18 and 20
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