CAB president Jagmohan Dalmiya on Monday ridiculed the dissident faction's claim that Eden Gardens would not get any international matches if he remained in power and said the city would host fixtures against Pakistan and Australia next year.
"We are going to host next season's matches against Pakistan and Australa," Dalmiya said at the annual prize distribution function of the CAB.
The Dalmiya faction in the CAB has contended that as per the BCCI rotation policy among staging venues, Eden Gardens would host a one-dayer against Australia in September-October 2007, and a Test versus Pakistan in October-November next year.
Countering the dissidents' allegation that the standard of Bengal cricket had gone down, Dalmiya said the state team had finished runners-up in Ranji Trophy with a narrow defeat in the final against Uttar Pradesh.
"We also did well in tournaments in junior level."
While the opposition had accused the CAB of neglecting district cricket, Dalmiya said that 60 to 70 per cent slots in the state teams at various levels were filled by cricketers from the districts.
"These results are not flukes. A lot of thinking and hard work are behind them," he said.
{{/usCountry}}"These results are not flukes. A lot of thinking and hard work are behind them," he said.
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