The UAE could build the MCG in 72 hours lol. But They already have 3 Test venues atm, plus the ICC Academy grounds which I think has at least 2 playing surfaces used for that Desert T20 last year or WCL tournaments. Thats 5 venues right there. The stadia in dubai and Abu Dhabi are ritzier than any in England or Australia even.jaybro wrote: ↑Wed Aug 09, 2017 2:27 amIt would be hard to play this tournament out of only 2 grounds but can UAE or Scotland provide more grounds ??
I don't know myself just asking the question, also Im sure the ICC know that Zimbabwe only have 2 grounds that are suitable at the moment but they're obviously putting in a serious effort to lift Zimbabwe after appointing the new MD so I wouldn't be surprised if the ICC are happy to throw in some money to fix up some grounds. Also I guess this tournament could generate some cash for the host nation since it's an ICC event ....
Zimbabwe could actually walk away from this with some upgraded facilities, extra cash in bank and hopefully qualification for the WC ......
Scotland has 2 in Aberdeen and Edinburough...being in the UK I would imagine they have a couple more club grounds that would get status if they just had an inspection. Plus they are budding jointly with Ireland who have 3 venues with 2 in Dublin and one more in Belfast. So thats 5 venues there that already have ODI status. But weather would be a big problem unless its done later in the season I reckon.
I reckon Zimbabwe being the senior full member will get it just as it was originally allocated to Bangladesh without discussion.
But it isnt just about having the stadia. Its also about having the hotels, transportation, and then facilities on the ground all of which Ireland, Scotland, and UAE have at an international standard. Then its about having enough practice pitches for 10 teams to train at the same time. Equipment for gym work, fitness, rehab, nets, balls, net bowlers, etc. I would imagine it would cost the ICC $10 million to aquire that in in Zim vs already having most of that in the other 3 candidate hosts. A 10 team tourney is a bit more complicated to host than a triangular from a logistics point of view. Its a 5 week tournament also.