The Pakistan recce team landed here today for a rapid, though detailed, inspection of playing conditions and security arrangements surrounding the proposed Test. And though neither the PCB’s Zakir Khan nor Lahore SSP Sohail Khan commented on what they saw, state cricket officials were upbeat at a positive outcome. On arrival from Bangalore the officials visited the Taj Ummed where the cricketers would be staying. They then went to Motera via the route the teams are expected to take. At the venue, the team conducted a thorough inspection, including the players dressing room, the practice pitches and the gymnasium. They then had an hour-long closed door meeting with top officials from the GCA and the state police. Briefing the press, GCA president Narhari Amin said the PCB officials were given a ‘‘detailed outline’’ of arrangements. ‘‘We have also told them that the Pakistan players will be provided maximum security cover while at the dressing room and dining hall too’’, he added. The PCB delegates weren’t letting on what they thought. ‘‘We are here to oversee playing conditions and security arrangements. We have seen them and will submit our report to the PCB, it’s for them to decide’’, Zakir Khan said. The BCCI’s decision to schedule a Test at Ahmedabad, three years after the post-Godhra riots, had sparked some controversy. What may go in the GCA’s favour, though, is the fact that the teams will not have to pass through the city at all. The hotel is located just outside the airport and is connected to Motera by a highway that skirts the city and can be easily cleared of traffic for a 30-minute ride.
