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| March 7, 2003 | Friday | Muharram 3, 1424 |
India make official bid to ICC
CAPE TOWN, March 6: India has made an official approach to World Cup organisers asking for the second semifinal to be changed from a day-nighter into a day game.
The Indians fear the toss could have a disproportionate influence on the result of the Durban match on March 20.
Team manager Jyoti Bajpai told a news conference on Thursday: “We have made a request to the ICC.”
World Cup executive director Dr Ali Bacher later confirmed he had received the request from the head of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Jagmohan Dalmiya.
“I have agreed to consider, with colleagues at the ICC cricket World Cup office, the implications of the BCCI’s request and have undertaken to respond to Mr Dalmiya on Friday afternoon with an answer,” Bacher said.
“Mr Dalmiya has assured me that he and the BCCI will accept whatever decision I and my colleagues from the cricket World Cup organising committee reach on the matter.”
Bacher had already made it clear he would strongly oppose any switch. “Day-nighters are the most spectacular form of one-day games,” he said on Wednesday.
He also said a switch would upset thousand of spectators, who had already made travel plans to attend the match, as well as broadcasters.
“You can’t change it,” he said. “The time of the match was agreed and announced by the ICC way back in October 2001.”
The first semifinal in Port Elizabeth on March 18 is a day match.—Reuters
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