New Delhi :
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday confirmed that the International Cricket Council (ICC) has approved Greater Noida’s Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Cricket Stadium for staging international matches involving full members teams of the international body.
“ICC had first inspected the venue in December 2015 and it was approved at that time for staging Associate Member matches only. The venue was upgraded to ensure minimum requirements, enabling Full Member matches to be played,” the BCCI said in a statement.
“Last week, the ICC inspected the venue and it was confirmed that the minimum requirements for Full Member matches are now in place. Consequently, the SVSP Cricket Stadium, Greater Noida has been approved for staging international cricket matches involving Full Member teams,” it added.
Expressing his happiness about the ICC’s move, BCCI president Anurag Thakur said: “I’m pleased to announce that the SVSP Cricket Stadium, Greater Noida is now fully compliant to host international matches with full members. BCCI had organised Duleep Trophy for the first time in Day/Night format using the pink ball from August 23 to September 14, 2016, that tested the venue’s infrastructure and facility.
“The Afghanistan national team had also used the venue for their home games earlier this year. I am confident that this approval will inspire the authorities to take this stadium to next level.”
Rajeev Tyagi, General Manager-Projects, Greater Noida Authority, added: “We thank the BCCI and the ICC for the accreditation to our venue and would look forward to hosting international matches among the full members of the ICC. This is yet another milestone in making Greater Noida, an international sports hub.”
