Monday, June 16, 2008

Test cricket returns to India's Brabourne stadium after 35 years

The vintage Brabourne stadium in Mumbai will host its first Test match in 35 years when England tour India later this year, an official said on Monday.

The Brabourne was chosen as a venue for one of England's two Tests in December because the Mumbai Cricket Association's (MCA) Wankhede stadium is being renovated for the 2011 World Cup in South Asia.

The Cricket Club of India (CCI), which owns the 35,000-seater Brabourne ground, has finalised a three-year deal with the MCA to host international matches till the Wankhede was rebuilt.

"The discussion part is over and the CCI has agreed to keep 50 per cent of the club house tickets to themselves and give the rest to us,"
MCA official P.V. Shetty told reporters.

The Brabourne stadium in leafy south Mumbai hosted the last of its 17 Tests in February, 1973 against England before the MCA built its own Wankhede stadium nearby following a dispute over ticket distribution.

The Wankhede stadium, named after former Indian cricket chief S.K.Wankhede, has been a regular Test venue since hosting its first five-day match against Clive Lloyd's West Indies in 1975.

The Brabourne stadium hosted five Champions Trophy one-day matches, including the final, in 2006 and also a Twenty20 international between India and Australia in October last year.

The Brabourne, which organised its first Test in 1948, was where current superstar Sachin Tendulkar scored his maiden double century in a first-class match against the touring Australians in 1998.

Dates and venues for England's tour from mid-November have not been formally announced by the Indian cricket board.

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