ICC pitch consultant Atkinson to visit India next month

With less than six months to go for the commencement of the 2011 World Cup in the sub continent, International Cricket Council (ICC) pitch consultant Andy Atkinson will make a visit to India early next month.

"Atkinson is on a week-long visit in the first week of September to inspect six out of eight World Cup match hosting centres in India," said World Cup tournament director Prof Ratnakar Shetty on Saturday.

Shetty said that Atkinson would not be visiting Mohali and Nagpur, two of the match hosting centres.

"He would be visiting the other six centres (Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai and Ahmedabad). Anyway barring Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, the other centres are to host international matches against Australia and New Zealand and we would know their preparedness," he said.

"Mumbai (Wankhede Stadium), Kolkata (Eden Gardens) and Delhi (Ferozshah Kotla) would host some first class games before the World Cup," he added.

The Wankhede Stadium is set to host its inaugural first class tie after undergoing renovation on November 24 when Ranji Trophy winners Mumbai take on Assam in their Elite division league match.