Opinion Express View on World Cup venues: State of play
The argument and disgruntlement over the venues of the Cup's cricket matches only set the stage for the excitement to follow
Pakistan too doesn't have a reasonable case against Ahmedabad. Security isn't a concern for the venue that most recently hosted heads of state of India and Australia. Pakistan have played at the Gujarat venue before. 
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As expected, the itinerary of the October-November 50-over ICC tournament triggered disgruntlement among BCCI units that were not in the list of host cities and murmurs of protest across the border. Cricket in World Cup year once again underlines the fact that it is much more than a bat-ball sport.
Ahmedabad getting to host four key games — tournament opener, India vs Pakistan, Australia vs England and the final — was easily the most vexed choice of venues. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor wanted Thiruvananthapuram on the World Cup map while Punjab Sports Minister Gurmeet Singh called the decision to drop Mohali as “politically motivated”. The BCCI can counter the criticism by giving cricketing reasons to designate the world’s biggest cricket venue — Narendra Modi Stadium — as the nerve centre of the World Cup. It can also point to a long tradition in alloting games for important events. In 1987, when Bengal cricket chief Jagmohan Dalmiya was at the helm of affairs, the World Cup final was at Eden Garden. During the Sharad Pawar era, Wankhede saw MS Dhoni lift the Cup in 2011. With the BJP ruling the Centre, Ahmedabad getting the lion’s share was not surprising.
Pakistan too doesn’t have a reasonable case against Ahmedabad. Security isn’t a concern for the venue that most recently hosted heads of state of India and Australia. Pakistan have played at the Gujarat venue before. Former chief of PCB Najam Sethi didn’t sound too convincing when he said that “this is one way to make sure we don’t come to India”. Sethi’s stance hasn’t found resonance in Pakistan’s players’ community — Wasim Akram said: “This unnecessary stress of ‘we won’t play in Ahmedabad’… you ask Pakistani players, they don’t care wherever their schedule comes.” In all likelihood, the view of the players will prevail. If the schedule can create a buzz at home and in the neighbourhood, the level of interest when India and Pakistan line up for the World Cup game at Ahmedabad can only be imagined.
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