Delhi likely to lose final ODI
In what will be a highly embarrassing climbdown, it is likely that Delhi's Ferozeshah Kotla stadium will not stage the final ODI against Pakistan scheduled for April 17
Cricinfo staff
31-Mar-2005
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A meeting of the Delhi and District Cricket Association's (DDCA) executive warned that "onerous conditions" imposed by Delhi's municipal authorities and local security agencies were causing serious concerns. Arun Jaitley, the DDCA's president, said the final decision had to be taken by the Indian board.
"We have expressed our reservations on conditions imposed by the MCD and security agencies," he told reporters. "We have decided to immediately convey our views to the BCCI on Thursday itself. It is now up to the BCCI to decide."
There has been increasing speculation in recent weeks whether the ground, which is undergoing a massive redevelopment, would be ready.
But as recently as Tuesday, Sheila Dixit, Delhi's chief minister, inspected the facilties and said that "things are going as per schedule". That was in contrast to security sources who expressed concern about the condition of the stadium.
The recent announcement that Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's president, would attend the match increased the pressure to ensure that everything was in order.