West and South zones prepare at Uppal Stadium

The West Zone and South Zone team gathered in Hyderabad have expressed their satisfaction with the facilities at the brand-new Uppal Cricket Stadium. There were three practice wickets for the teams to use, as the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) pulled out all the stops in a bid to convince those present that India's newest venue was ready to stage international cricket.

Speaking to The Hindu, Shivlal Yadav, the HCA secretary, said, "We have taken every precaution to ensure that there are no complaints. Floodlighting project is different and it should cost about Rs 6 crore [60 million]." The HCA has already spent Rs 22 crore on the stadium so far and another Rs 13 crore needs to be spent to finish off the clubhouse, swimming pool, and other recreational facilities.

The pitch is ready for Sachin Tendulkar's first match back after a tennis elbow problem, and even the commentary boxes are in mint condition even though there will be no telecast of the Duleep Trophy match. Nearly 30,000 spectatos are expected fo a match between the Pakistanis and India A at the end of March.