Queenstown and Otago keen to make most of ODI

Otago Cricket are determined to make the most of their One-Day International in Queenstown this year when New Zealand will play India.

Coming at peak holiday time on January 4, with TelstraClear Black Cap players like Chris Cairns, Shane Bond, Nathan Astle, Andre Adams, Craig McMillan and Indian players like Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid, the game should be a huge attraction.

Otago Cricket's chief executive Graeme Elliott said the news was exciting for the region and he anticipates the Queenstown Events Centre will be capable of holding around 8000 people and he said the ideal situation would be to pre-sell the ground.

However, whether that happens is still to be decided.

In the meantime, Otago Cricket, New Zealand Cricket and the Queenstown Lakes District Council are working together to have the playing surface upgraded from that which caused some problems during the Otago-England three-day match this year.

"There is quite a lot to do," Elliott said. "There is drainage work, new practice pitches to go in and the wicket block has to be raised slightly."

Providing media facilities off the ground and one or two other crowd facilities would also need to be completed.

Elliott said one of the problems during the England game had been that because the ground was level, there was a concern with rain on the outfield flowing under the covers. This caused delays on two of the days of play.

He said there would be no problem raising the block and there were to be drains cleared that had prevented thorough drainage last year.

"We are confident we can have all of the work done by the end of September. And that will allow the grass to come away during the early months of summer," he said.

"This is a one-off situation because of the World Cup but we want to do it really well," he said.

It was important for Otago cricket that at least one international cricket fixture was played in the region each summer and with the earlier tours that are now taking place, Queenstown was an ideal venue to promote.

The traditional Central Otago venue at Molyneux Park in Alexandra would not miss out as two State Shield games are to be played there between Christmas and New Year.

"There is no doubt it is a stunning venue. And when you walk through the airport after arriving, [the airport is at the southern end of the ground] there is no doubt that you are at an international resort," he said.

Local government authorities in Queenstown were very keen to be involved in the event, and Elliott said some thorough research would be done to determine just how many the ground could hold.