World Cup official plays down concerns

There have been worries over the redevelopment of some grounds in India and Sri Lanka - who host the tournament along with Bangladesh - after deadlines of November 30 and December 31 came and went.

With the event starting on February 19, those concerns have become more acute - especially after the Commonwealth Games fiasco last year.

But Ratnakar Shetty, the tournament's director and the administrative officer of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, dismissed concerns.

"I think the concerns are more in the media than anything else," Shetty said following an inspection by an International Cricket Council team of the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

"As far as we are concerned, all the 13 venues which are going to stage the World Cup are coming up very well and we don't see any reason for concern," he added.

The three-member ICC team comprises stadium consultant Eugene van Vuuren, general commercial manager Campbell Jamieson and events manager Chris Tetley.

"The facilities were shown to the ICC team. They will convey the official version later," he continued.