A visit to Pallekelle International Cricket Stadium on Friday provided a pleasant surprise. All of a sudden, the metaphorical clouds looming over the venue seem to have disappeared.
Construction is over and its only minor problems such as road paving that have to be completed. The first game at Pallekelle – New Zealand vs Pakistan is quite some time away. The March 8th game will be followed by the Sri Lanka-Zimbabwe match on the 10th. Four days later the last one in the hill capital Pakistan-Zimbabwe will be played.
Andy Atkinson the expert on pitches has been there a few hours earlier, and indications are that the pitches have pass muster. In hindsight the decision to stage a warm up game at the SSC seems an inspired one. However the conditions at Pallekelle are not entirely alien to the Sri Lankans, as they have played quite a bit of domestic cricket there.But, if the original idea was to play a day-night game which would have entailed batting under lights an first hand experience of the due factor, it is huge disappointment to the Sri Lankans. |
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