BUOYANT HCA GEAR UP FOR BIG GAME

Brisk ticket sales, bouyant boys and an eye on bad weather. That’s the mood in Hyderabad cricket circles as the city gears up for the third and final Twenty20 match between India and Australia to be played here on Friday. Serpentine queues were the order of the day at the Gymkhana grounds in Secunderabad where fervent fans flocked to redeem their tickets for the big match. Officials of the Hyderabad Cricket Association’s Apex Council were understandably excited. “The ticket sales have been impressive (touching `3.46 crore), even the corporates are showing interest in booking boxes. There are apprehensions about rain but the efficient drainage system at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium should dry the entire ground in just two hours,” HCA president G. Vivekanand said on Tuesday. Secretary T. Sheshnarayan said the HCA was doing its best to make the match a memorable experience for the spectators. “We have engaged agencies to conduct proper security checks,” he said. “We are allowing 400 vendors into different stands, each of which will have ambush teams set up by the Police to monitor the situation and ensure items are not sold at prices higher than the MRP,” Shesh added. Also, parking facilities have been enhanced this time around with “space for about 500 cars in and around the stadium. About 350 to 400 two wheelers of the public can be accommodated at Christ The King Church at Ramanthapur.”