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Journalism of Courage
While the BCCI8217;s three-member team has its reservations about some venues in Pakustan, it has reportedly been bowled over by one arena: the Multan Cricket Stadium. 8216;8216;It8217;s one of the best cricket stadiums on the subcontinent, it even compares to Mohali8217;8217;, said one of the team members.
Good news for the Indian team, and for fans who will be travelling, because Multan is likely to stage one of the Tests 8212; and not just because it8217;s team captain Inzamam8217;s hometown. One Test will be at Lahore, the third either at Faislabad or Rawalpindi.
What gives it the edge, though, in the security context, is that the dressing room is cut off from the rest of the stadium. The bus can drive up almost to the lift that takes the players to the dressing room. 8216;8216;From a security point of view, it8217;s perfect8217;8217;, the official said.
It8217;s also better planned from the spectators8217; point of view8212; access to the ground is well controlled and need not result in a bustle at one or two gates. And, unlike the dusty, characterless concrete bowls of the subcontinent, the MCS is aesthetically designed in red brick and blue tiles Multan shares a tradition of blue pottery with Jaipur.
The MCS rose out of near-barren land, at least in cricketing terms. Despite Inzamam8217;s emergence, there were no cricketing facilities. Things began moving when General Tauqir Zia took over as chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board PCB, and launched a project to remake and build stadiums in non-cricketing parts of the country.
However, the recce team pointed out one disadvantage of Multan: the lack of adequate star hotel accommodation. Multan has only one four-star hotel the Holiday Inn and no five stars. 8216;8216;This is enough to accommodate the teams, officials and TV crew8217;8217;, said the BCCI official. 8216;8216;There are a few other smaller hotels but for the rest of the cricket circus, yes, there will be a problem.8217;8217;
In contrast, the stadium in Faislabad is ordinary but the hotel facilities there are excellent. The Aga Khan has promoted the Serena Hotel chain and the Serena in Faislabad should be able to take in a lot of guests.
