Himachal cricket body to open fifth stadia on June 1

Shimla, May 24 (IANS) The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) will add one more feather to its cap by inaugurating another stadium, the fifth in the state, next month, an official said on Wednesday.

The HPCA's new stadium at Gumma in Shimla district will be inaugurated by its former President Anurag Thakur, who is also former Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President, on June 1.

The stadium, with facilities like a pavilion, dressing rooms, four turf wickets, has been constructed with an outlay of Rs.3 crore, HPCA press secretary Mohit Sood told IANS.

He said the stadium's outfield has class 1 Bermuda grass to give the players an international playing experience.

It's located some 60 km from the state capital at an altitude of 5,500 feet above sea level.

"We have already built good stadiums and infrastructure in other districts of the state and would work steadily on our commitment towards one world-class stadium in each district," Sood added.

The HPCA has to its credit five stadia, including the world-class showpiece stadium in Dharamsala, and three cricket academies, including one in the state capital.

The Rs.100-crore ($16 million) showpiece stadium in Dharamsala first figured on the international cricket map in 2005 when it hosted a warm-up tie between the touring Pakistan team and the Board President's XI.

The Dharamsala venue, located at an altitude of 4,000 ft above sea level, is the first in India to use winter rye grass scattered around the outfield, which prevents the grass from dying when temperatures fall below 10 degrees Celsius.

It has also developed the Luhnu ground, which is ringed by backwaters of the Bhakra Dam, and the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium, which was formerly known as the Amtar ground, in Hamirpur district.

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