Asgiriya likely venue for first Test with Zimbabwe (8 Aug 1996)

8 August 1996

Asgiriya likely venue for first Test with Zimbabwe

by SA`ADI THAWFEEQ

The Sri Lanka Cricket Board hierarchy is to meet once again to finalise the venue for the first-ever cricket Test against Zimbabwe to be played in Sri Lanka.

As it stands right now, indications are that it may be played at Asgiriya Stadium in Kandy.

Cricket Board sources said secretary Tryphone Mirando and chief executive Dammika Ranatunga had gone to Kandy Wednesday to study the feasibility of holding the Test there.

Asgiriya was not taken into consideration as a venue because the Zimbabwe Cricket Union (ZCU) had earlier requested that all their matches be played in Colombo for security reasons.

However, following the successful completion of the Kandy Perahera last month where a lot of foreign visitors were present, the Sri Lanka Cricket Board has assured ZCU that nothing untoward would happen if a Test match is played there. The ZCU it seems is going along with that idea.

The venue for the first Test which is scheduled to take place between September 11 and 15 has become a debatable issue with several options being thrown in.

Initially, the Saravanamuttu Stadium was earmarked to hold the Test. But subsequently, the Tyronne Fernando Stadium in Moratuwa and the R. Premadasa Stadium were also included as the likely venues.

According to Cricket Board sources who sent their scouts to study the stadiums, the Tyronne Fernando Stadium and the R. Premadasa Stadium have been ruled out as likely Test venues.

Sources said the Tyronne Fernando Stadium needed improvement in dressing rooms, toilet facilities etc. and that the R. Premadasa Stadium was `not a suitable venue` to stage a Test match.

Thus, the Cricket Board is left with either the Saravanamuttu Stadium or the Asgiriya Stadium.

The second Test in this short series will take place at the SSC grounds from September 18-22.

Source :: Daily News (https://www.lanka.net)