MELBOURNE, Jan 15, 2011 (AFP) - Cricket's global chief Saturday admitted some venues were not yet ready for the World Cup in South Asia but vowed there would be no repeat of chaos that marred the build-up to the Commonwealth Games.

International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Haroon Lorgat said four stadiums in particular were "slightly behind" in their preparations for the tournament in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, starting next month. He was speaking after reports of chaotic scenes at Eden Gardens in Kolkata and at Mumbai's Wankhede stadium.

Work at the Premadasa Cricket Stadium, gradually getting into shape. (Pic by Sanka Vidanagama)

"The concern with Delhi was more than a year ago with the state of the pitch but that has been sorted out," he told reporters in Melbourne. "There are certain stadia that are behind our schedule," he added, highlighting Kolkata and Mumbai.

"We would have liked them to have been completed. All of our reports do not indicate anything like what transpired during the Commonwealth Games. "The stadiums are slightly behind, there are four in particular I think, but they’ll be done before the start of the World Cup."

Sri Lanka has pledged that two new stadiums in Kandy and Hambantota will be ready on time, while Bangladesh has promised to deliver "world-class" facilities. "We'll ensure power supplies at the venues are uninterrupted, floodlights work and that the pitches are of the highest standard," Bangladesh Cricket Board spokesman Jalal Yunus said this month.

Shambolic preparations for New Delhi's Commonwealth Games in October caused international concern and prompted some athletes to pull out, in a deeply embarrassing incident for emerging India.
Meanwhile the Sri Lanka Cricket’s Interim Committee secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said that Sri Lanka’s three World Cup venues will be ready for the matches.

He said “Campbell Jemerson, Chris Patley and the BCCI secretary Srinivasan are expected in the land on the 19th of January on a three day visit and take charge of the three venues” “Besides the above there is a likelihood of the ICC chief executive Haroon Loghart also joining the team” Ranatunge added.

Explaining further the Interim Committee secretary said “Already there is a team of ICC officials in Sri Lanka visiting the World Cup venues and they are quite satisfied with the work in progress. However I must add that we have put in a lot of emphasis into our programme and now the results are evident”.