Rod Bransgrove, chairman of Hampshire County, has said there’s a possibility that team India could use the venue’s facilities for their future England tour.
Speaking about the proposal, Bransgrove mentioned that he had a meeting with the Indian coach, Ravi Shashtri and an official from the BCCI on Friday, and deemed the discussion positive.
"I was talking to Ravi about the possibility to use this stadium not only for tour fixtures, but also for training camps at the beginning of tours. They can have practice matches and use all the facilities to familiarise with the country before embarking on a tour — international, 'A' tour or U-19s. They can use us as a base. It has been happening with a lot of other teams like West Indies and Australia,” Bransgrove told mid-day.
Bransgrove’s association with Shashtri is all down to their mutual bonding with Ian Botham. And as far as the facilities are concerned, it won’t be limited to the senior team. The provision is stretched for their ‘A’ tour and U-19 matches as well.
"Ravi was very positive about it. The teams that come here always say that this is the best place for cricket in England. That's what we want to continue doing and hopefully, it will get to our own English and Wales Cricket Board who don't share the enthusiasm of other countries."
Feature image courtesy: Twitter / @BCCI
