Nothing seems to be going right for the ICC in the ongoing World Cup - if the rain delays and abandonment of matches were not enough, a recent report has come to light which suggests that the Indian team is not entirely happy with the gymnasiums provided to the side. As a result, the Indian side has been asked to work out in private gyms as the ones in the team hotels are just not enough.
"Yes, the equipment that is there in the team hotels aren't adequate and the boys have been training in private gyms because they meet the needs of the cricketers and the fitness work that the boys put in while preparing for a game," a source was quoted by IANS.
'England definitely needs an upgrade'
"Let alone the fact that the majority of the hotels in the UK lack proper gymnasiums and swimming pools, air conditioning is still a novelty which is restricted to only a few hotels. England definitely needs an upgrade," the source further added.
And then there is a small issue of security concerns which has always been an issue in and around the Indian team and hence, the Indian management has been at pains to keep the side isolated owing to all the restrictions which are put into place.
"Security personnel are asked to be invisible, but the actual physical security is the need considering the number of fans who are moving around the hotels in hope of catching a glimpse of their favourite stars," different sources further said.
BCCI is not too happy with how things are panning out in the United Kingdom. As per a senior BCCI official, these are the bare minimum requirements which should have been put into place for an event of such magnitude. The official also said that ICC always puts forward a number of demands whenever India hosts a tournament, but then they have not been up to the mark in England this year.
"There have been demands of a police escort for a match referee in the past in India and here they have been unable to provide telecast of games and even access to an equipped gym in the team hotels. This is when the ICC budget for the tournament in England is much greater than its budget for a tournament in India," a BCCI official said.