Australia's tour opener switched to Bombay

Australia's tour opener switched to Bombay

NEW DELHI: Australia will open its cricket tour of India next week with a three-day warm-up match in Bombay against Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai, an official said on Tuesday.

The match, starting on Sept. 30, was originally scheduled to be played in the southern city of Hyderabad, but unfit ground conditions at a brand new stadium there forced the switch to Bombay.

"We made the change because the outfield was uneven despite the best efforts by local officials to improve it," said Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Karunakaran Nair.

The tour opener will be played at the Brabourne stadium which hosted Test cricket till 1975 when matches were shifted to the Bombay Cricket Association's own Wankhede stadium. -- AFP