Himachal cricket stadium in Dharamsala gets centre of excellence

Shimla, Dec 17- The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has announced it would set up its centre of excellence at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association's (HPCA) showpiece stadium in Dharamsala, a cricket official body said here on Thursday.

"It's a great first ever feat for this tiny hill state and our association which has worked hard tirelessly over the last 15 years to create one of the best cricketing infrastructures in the country," HPCA president Anurag Thakur said in a statement here.

The centre of excellence would help provide good facilities and infrastructure to the game of cricket, said Thakur, who is also the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary.

Sharing its jubilation, HPCA said: "This is a great news as the picturesque stadium of Dharamsala will witness the international Asian Test teams practicing here."

The stadium, 250 km from state capital Shimla, has a 20,400-seating capacity, besides separate practice areas, a club lounge, restaurant, bar and banquet hall.

It's set to host eight men's matches and two women's fixtures in the upcoming T20 World Cup making Dharamsala one of the biggest and most sought after venues in India.

Agency

---