Vizag ODI shifted to Nagpur as Telangana crisis threatens security
Mumbai: The Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) on Monday
announced that the second one-day international between India and Sri Lanka would be played in Nagpur instead of Visakhapatnam due to the Telangana crisis engulfing
the State of Andhra Pradesh. "The second ODI of the five-match series between
India and Sri Lanka has been shifted to Nagpur. The match will be a day-night
affair, and will be played on the scheduled date of 18 December 2009," said BCCI
secretary N Srinivasan in a statement. The step was taken after Vizag police refused
to guarantee security for the match. Nagpur has been told to make necessary
arrangements,
sources at the Vidharbha Cricket Association said. This morning, Visakhapatnam
Police Commissioner Sambhasiva Rao said it would be difficult for them to provide
required security for the game. "The prevailing situation is such that all the
city police are deployed in the maintenance of regular law and order. And to conduct
the match in ordinary circumstances we need to deploy 80 percent of the city force.
We have mentioned it to organising locals here that it not possible for us to
commit any amount of force for the conduct of the match at this stage," said Rao.
