The fourth ODI of England's India tour, on November 23, has been shifted to Bangalore from the original venue, Jamshedpur, following concerns over the state of the stadium. The galleries at Jamshedpur's Keenan Stadium are reportedly in bad shape, raising doubts about the safety of spectators.
The Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) withdrew its hosting rights for the match last week, after the deadline set by the BCCI for the association seeking confirmation about hosting the match ended at 12 noon on Thursday, and the final decision to switch venues was made at the BCCI over the weekend.
Tata Steel, which maintains the Keenan Stadium, said it regretted the JSCA's decision. "It is indeed a pity that the JSCA has taken this hasty step without consulting the company, as the Tata Steel has always maintained that the request from JSCA is 'under active consideration' and its engineers' report on the status of the galleries was awaited," said a statement from the company.
Named after John Lawrence Keenan, a former general manager at Tata Steel, the stadium was built in 1939 at an estimated cost of just Rs 25,000. The Keenan Satdium last hosted an ODI between India and England in April 2006.