Patna (Bihar): A stadium that has had the distinction of hosting five international matches including one in the 1996 World Cup, is currently in a dilapidated state. Blame it on the Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) conundrum or complete apathy of the powers that be, the Moin-ul-Haq Stadium in the Bihar capital is gasping for breath.
The stadium with a capacity of 25,000 fans, has sparked a row with its piteous state of affairs. The ongoing Ranji Trophy tie between Mumbai and Bihar has hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons - and pass the buck to the authorities, you won't be castigated.
Just imagine - international players like Ajinkya Rahane and Dhawal Kulkarni are witness to pathetic condition of the stadium located at Rajendra Nagar in the state capital.
To give readers a lowdown - look around and you are welcomed by thick bushes on the stands. Cricket fanatics are being deprived of a place in the gallery but instead, it is being used to dry clothes. Add to it, the filth all around. But kudos to cricket lovers that they have come in numbers to watch the on-the field proceedings.
It is unthinkable that a match of the stature of Ranji Trophy is being played on a ground which is abysmal leaving players on the edge of getting injured. Former Indian Test skipper Rahane reportedly skipped the tie so as to avoid any unwarranted incident that could mar his aspiration to make a comeback into the Indian side.
The irony is that the area was 'adjudged' a danger zone five years ago, however, it is much to the dismay of all that a Ranji match has been allocated to the stadium. Who is to be 'put up the guillotine' for this hasty move - the BCCI (which has scheduled the match) or the BCA?
Now, the internal feud within the BCA has exacerbated the situation. To make matters worse, two sides appeared for the Ranji match with both eventually coming to blows. One team belonged to BCA president Rakesh Kumar Tiwary and the other was helmed by secretary Amit KUmar. The situation came to such a fuss that cops had to intervene to prevent the ignominy from escalating further.
BCA spokesperson Sanjeev Kumar Mishra, when asked by ETV Bharat, said, "Days ahead of the Ranji Trophy, BCCI had demanded a stadium from the Bihar government. Moinul Haq Stadium was the one which was picked by the state government. Then it was the BCCI which renovated the ground."
Isn't it like shifting the blame?
Looking back, BCA had requested the government for an international stadium but alas, it seems to have fallen on deaf ears.
"Bihar Cricket Association had demanded a stadium from the Bihar government. but hardly anything has fructified," BCA Cricket Operations GM Sunil Kumar Singh added." And he informed, "The players who are not playing in the Mumbai team are injured. This is why we are not playing. Nothing can be said on whether the ground is of international standard or not, because matches are conducted only after getting approval from BCCI."
On the pitiable condition of the stadium, he said, it is time for the current dispensation in the state to give it a fresh lease of life.
The stadium hosted its maiden internal match on November 1993 - Sri Lanka locked horns with Zimbabwe. It has also been the venue for a women's Test match between India and West Indies in 1976. The last time, spectators enjoyed an international tie was on February 27, 1996 when Sri Lanka and Kenya clashed in the 1996 World Cup.
A lot of water has flown under the bridge, but there is still a scope for redemption.
We are watching! Hope good sense prevails.
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