Successful conduct of the ODI was a matter of pride for them, said KCA
The Kerala Cricket Association appears unfazed by the bizarre turn and its president T.C. Mathew has said the successful conduct of the ODI was a matter of pride for them and that money was not an overriding factor. (Photo: DC)
Kerala: One-day internationals have always hosted a huge bouncing crowd at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Kochi . Surprisingly, the India versus West Indies ODI on October 8 showed an incredible 26 per cent reduction in ticket sales compared to last November.
But the Kerala Cricket Association appears unfazed by the bizarre turn and its president T.C. Mathew has said the successful conduct of the ODI was a matter of pride for them and that money was not an overriding factor.
In a chat with this newspaper, Mr Mathew talks about how the situation was handled.
Q. There was a threat to the ODI. But you seemed sure everything was all right!
A. Yes, no international cricket team would just call off a match. They had some issues and BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel had come here and it was never going to be an issue. Certain sections of the media had blown it out of proportion but we were always sure that the ODI was going to happen and without any issues.
Q. Before the WI drama there was another challenge – rains. During these months rains are common in Kerala, so how could the KCA take such a risk of hosting a match?
A. In May, the KCA was offered qualifier-1 of the IPL but we humbly declined it because of the weather. We asked the BCCI to allot us a match in the next India series and when we got this one the weather was again tough. When I informed my committee members in KCA, the decision was unanimous – let’s take up the challenge.The KCA was ready for it and we had utmost faith in our ground-staff and the excellent facilities.
Q. What about the low turnout?
A. Compared to last year when I think we sold tickets between Rs 1.5 to Rs 1.6 cr, this time it was just around Rs 88 lakh. But trust me money was not the priority as we wanted the game here. And the whole world saw how excellently we hosted the game amidst all adversities.
( Source : dc )
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