Play absent in Trump-inaugurated stadium amid coronavirus pandemic

The 110,000-seater Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad which was opened by US President Donald Trump has yet to see a ball bowled as the coronavirus pandemic wrecked the cricket calendar. 

India's newest and the world's biggest cricket stadium lies empty because of the coronavirus pandemic. Where there should be the sound of leather on willow and the roar of the crowd, there is only silence.

Just a few weeks ago, it had been packed to capacity as Trump and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi stood side-by-side in a show of pomp and ceremony for the February 24 inauguration.

Eclipsing Australia's 100,000-capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground, it was rumoured to be in line to host the final of this year's Indian Premier League, the world's richest Twenty20 tournament, watched by millions worldwide.

But then came COVID-19. The pandemic has brought the sporting world to a grinding halt with massive events including the Tokyo Olympics, football's European Championships, golf and tennis majors, and the glitzy IPL postponed.

"There was hardly any time between the Trump event and the pandemic," a senior Gujarat Cricket Association official told AFP on condition of anonymity, adding that once cricket resumes, the stadium could be ready "in double-quick time."

"Just five percent work is remaining and it just needs the finishing touches," the official added.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has pushed back the IPL from its original start date of March 29 to April 15, but with the number of coronavirus cases in India exceeding 5,000 and still rising, pressure is growing for it to be shifted again, truncated or scrapped.

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