A bid to turn Eden Park Outer Oval into a test venue will not count against the University Oval hosting further tests, Otago Cricket (OCA) chief executive Ross Dykes says.
Auckland Cricket boss Andrew Eade last week confirmed an ICC inspection had been carried out on Eden Park Outer Oval to determine whether it was suitable for international cricket.
The inspection took place on February 14 and, while the final report has not been completed, initial findings suggest the ground is suitable provided some additional media facilities are added and extra security measures provided.
The ground, pitch and practice areas all meet the necessary standards.
With Eden Park about to undergo renovations ahead of the 2011 Rugby World Cup, Auckland is set to be without a venue to stage international cricket.
‘‘We know that there is huge demand among cricket fans to have test matches in Auckland, but clearly New Zealand Cricket (NZC) would be reluctant to use the main stadium at Eden Park in the future,'' Eade said in a press release.
‘‘For a number of years, we had been considering whether the Outer Oval could be turned into a test match venue so this proved the catalyst to investigate this further.''
Whether the Outer Oval is developed into a test match venue is ultimately a decision for the Eden Park Trust Board.
However, Dykes believes using the Outer Oval as a test venue will only be a temporary move while Eden Park is out of action for renovations.
‘It just seems to me they [NZC] are covering an eventuality for when the main ground is out of action,'' he said.
The University Oval staged its first test this summer when the Black Caps played Bangladesh in January.
Following that match, NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan indicated the University Oval would almost certainly host one of the test against the West Indies when they tour the country in December-January.
