Days before the 2023 World Cup tickets go on sale, the BCCI has been put in a spot by the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) which has raised a concern about hosting back-to-back ODIs on October 9 and 10.
ESPNcricinfo has learned that, on Saturday, the HCA alerted the BCCI that the Hyderabad Police was concerned about providing adequate security for two matches – New Zealand vs Netherlands on October 9 and Pakistan vs Sri Lanka on October 10. It is understood that the BCCI has told the HCA that it will examine the issue and respond.
The HCA, which is currently being supervised by a Supreme Court-appointed administrator, is also understood to be unsure as to whether all four teams can get adequate practice at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
Sri Lanka will travel to Hyderabad on October 8, after having played a day match in Delhi on October 7, against South Africa. Both Pakistan and Netherlands will open their campaign in Hyderabad, contesting each other on October 6, and will remain there for their second group match. New Zealand, who play Netherlands on October 9, will reach Hyderabad after playing the tournament opener against England on October 5 in Ahmedabad.
It is understood that in case the BCCI is unable to make any schedule tweaks, the HCA will try and garner enough resources, including security personnel, to ensure the matches go smoothly.
Nagraj Gollapudi is news editor at ESPNcricinfo
Source: ESPN Crickinfo