One day to go, the excitement builds in Dhaka (23 October 1998)
The nine-nation mega sporting event Wills International Cup, dubbed unofficially by most of the media as "mini world cup cricket" is just one day away
23-Oct-1998
23 October 1998
One day to go, the excitement builds in Dhaka
By Zahid Newaz in Dhaka
The nine-nation mega sporting event Wills International Cup, dubbed
unofficially by most of the media as "mini world cup cricket" is just
one day away.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate the
grand gala cricketing show, the most prestigious one-day tournament
after the World Cup, at 1:30 pm on Saturday.
Immediately after the inauguration, Alistair Campbell and Stephen
Fleming will go to wicket for the toss as Zimbabwe will play the lone
pre-quarterfinal with New Zealand in the inaugural match of the
tournament.
All the eight matches will be day and night affairs under newly
installed floodlights. The matches will start at 2 pm and conclude at
9.45 pm with a break of 45 minutes from 5.30 pm.
Nearly 40,000 crowd capacity Bangabandu National Stadium in Dhaka, the
venue of biggest sports carnival of the country, is wearing a new look
with beautiful decoration and its adjoining areas are in festive mood.
Several hundred artists, designers and workers were engaged to work
round the clock to give the final touch to the Stadium, which will be
the main attraction of millions of cricket lovers and TV viewers at
home and abroad.
The "trophy" of the Wills Cup Cricket, which reached the capital on
Wednesday, will be officially unveiled and handed over to Bangladesh
Cricket Board by International Cricket Council on Friday afternoon at
Bangabandhu Stadium.
Tight security measures have already been enforced in capital Dhaka
when the country is going through a political turmoil as the verdict
of a case filed in connection with assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman is due on November 8. The national stadium is also name
after country's founding father Bangabandhu Mujib.
Tickets of most of the games have almost finished with mad rush of
thousands of cricket fans to branches of the bank assigned to sell
tickets. Many alleged that tickets are now being sold in black
markets.
Nine elite of the world cricket - Sri Lanka, Australia, India,
Pakistan, England, South Africa, West Indies, New Zealand and Zimbabwe
- will compete in the fund raising competition till November 1.
Of them, world champions Sri Lanka led by its long serving captain
Arjuna Ranatunga and formidable South Africa, led by Hansie Cronje,
arrived in Dhaka Thursday.
England, Zimbabwe and New Zealand are already in the capital to
participate in the gala event.
Two former world champions, India and West Indies, will reach Dhaka on
October 25 along with a six-member partial squad of Australia.
Another world champions, Pakistan will be the last team to reach Dhaka
on October 27 with the remaining Australian players.
Two popular TV commentators - Michael Holding of West Indies and
RaviShastri of India - arrived in the city Thursday morning while Tony
Greig was due to the reach city in the night. Eight international
umpires and match referees are already in the capital to conduct the
eight matches of the tourney.
Millions of TV viewers around the world will watch eight matches live
and modern entertaining display on the newly installed electronics
scoreboard, to be telecast with 18 cameras of American based TV
network WorldTel on behalf of Dooradarshan.
Source :: CricInfo365