Hyderabad conferred Test centre status

Hyderabad has been conferred the cricket Test centre status by the International Cricket Council and the BCCI, making it the ninth city in the country to get the honour.

"The Executive Committee was informed about the confirmation of allotment of Test centre status to Hyderabad by ICC/BCCI," the statement from the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) said on Wednesday.

Mumbai, Chennai, Kanpur, Nagpur, Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkata, and Mohali are the other cities in the country to enjoy the status.

Hyderabad will next host a One Day International match between India and New Zealand in December, 2010.

The Executive Committee of HCA has unanimously recommended the name of Arshad Ayub, former Test cricketer and senior most vice president of HCA, as the next president of HCA, the statement added.

The committee has decided to hold the 76th AGM of the Association on August 22 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in the city, the release said.

The committee has chosen IAS officer Jayesh Rajan to be the returning officer for the HCA elections to be held on August 22.