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All's not well with Wankhede
Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium went into complete lockdown on Saturday just 24 hours after it was criticised by the city's top fire chief for not meeting safety standards.
All unauthorised personnel were being shooed away by harassed security guards, who were under orders not to allow any media to come within 75 metres of the stadium, which will host the World Cup final on April 2.
Safety inspectors are unhappy that mandatory fire equipment, including water hydrants, no-smoking indicators, fire alarms and extinguishers are still not in place.
"They should have sorted this beforehand as you never want to leave these things so late," a Mumbai fire officer, who declined to reveal his name, told Reuters while leaning through the window of his engine after freeing a trapped bird from a house situated just a stone's throw away from the stadium.
"It's never good to hear negative things about your city ... and we are still waiting for them to let us know when we can come back," he added referring to the clearance the fire brigade have to give Wankhede before it can host any matches.
The arena also failed an inspection by the ICC in December, it was little wonder that officials in charge had closed ranks on Saturday and refused to talk to the media.
Friday's warning once again cast doubts on India's capability as a host of major events after last year's Commonwealth Games in Delhi ended up being a public relations shambles despite a late scramble by the government.
Video Courtesy: ANI
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Sehwag's sweet revenge
Man of the match Virender Sehwag termed India's 87-run win over Bangladesh as 'revenge' having lost to the same opponents four years ago in Port-of-Spain during last World Cup.
A scribe asked about whether he was under any pressure to perform, he gave a typical Sehwag-like reply, "No pressure for me as I only bother about playing and scoring runs."
Sehwag stressed on the fact that his 140-ball 175 was a blend of caution and aggression.
"When we started, we got 10 runs per over for the first 3-4 overs but then we decided that we had to be careful or else we might lose a few wickets," he said.
Video Courtesy: UNI TV
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