Cricket enthusiasts hope rain doesn't play spoilsport

Visakhapatnam: As Dr YSR Andhra Cricket Association -VDCA Cricket Stadium gears up for the second One day International (ODI) match between India and Australia scheduled on Sunday in Visakhapatnam, cricket enthusiasts keep their fingers crossed that it should be a cloud-free sky. With all arrangements in place for the much-awaited match on one side, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) hinted at inclement weather for the next two days owing to cyclonic circulation.

Already, 23,000 tickets have been sold out for the match. Of them, 12,000 tickets were sold across the counter. The ground at the stadium is readied, while parking and traffic restrictions are in place to ensure that the match is held in a hassle-free manner.  Meanwhile, APSRTC has come forward to operate special buses before and after the match hours that will continue at the stadium from 1:30 pm to 10:30 pm. However, the gates of the stadium will open at 11:30 am.

For traffic streamlining and maintaining security, 2,000 police personnel were deployed in the city. Under the supervision of City Police Commissioner Ch Srikanth, three DCPs will monitor the security and traffic arrangements. ACA is hosting the One-Day International match after a gap of four years. While the first session of the match commences from 1:30 pm to 5 pm followed by a break for 45 minutes, the second session starts from 5:45 pm and continues till the end of the match.

Even if it rains during match hours, ACA secretary SR Gopinath Reddy said that arrangements were in place to cover the entire grounds. Also, equipment is in place to keep the pitch dry, he informed.  According to weather experts, a western disturbance owing to cyclonic circulation is likely to affect Northwest India from Sunday. As a result, they forecast scattered to widespread light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds along Coastal Andhra Pradesh on Sunday and Monday.