ICC clears Harare Sports Club to host World Cup Qualifiers matches after fire incident

The International Cricket Council (ICC) cleared the Harare Sports Club (HSC) to continue to host World Cup Qualifiers matches after a fire broke out at the cricket ground in Harare.

On Tuesday, June 20, a fire broke out at the HSC and it raged just metres away from the stands at the southern end of the venue. The tragic incident happened six hours after the Group A match between hosts Zimbabwe and the Netherlands.

According to a Cricbuzz report, the fuel for the fire was thatched roofing that had been removed from a building under renovation. However, the exact reason for the initial spark is unknown.

A video on social media showed that the fire reached the trees outside the cricket ground and was very close to the stands. There were no spectators present at the spot where the fire raged, however.

The Harare Fire Brigade was quick to respond considering HSC's proximity to Zimbabwe House, an official government building. They put out the fire before it could cause any damage to the stands.

The ICC's security team conducted an inspection on Wednesday morning and cleared the venue for hosting further matches that will decide the fate of the two teams' qualification in the 2023 World Cup.

Zimbabwe Cricket issued an official statement about the incident. They said:

"Zimbabwe Cricket can confirm a fire occurred at Harare Sports Club behind the south-west grandstand at the venue last night. A prompt response from the City of Harare Fire Brigade ensured the flames were quickly doused and there was no damage caused to any of the structures at the ground.

The statement further read:

"Tomorrow’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023 fixture at Harare Sports Club will not be affected and will proceed as scheduled."

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How many matches will Harare Sports Club host further in WCQ?

The Harare Sports Club has hosted two games so far - the tournament opener Zimbabwe vs Nepal followed by Zimbabwe's six-wicket win against the Dutchmen.

The next match to be played here is West Indies vs Nepal on Thursday, June 22, which will go ahead as mentioned by Zimbabwe Cricket in its statement.

Harare Sports Club is scheduled to host three more group fixtures, including the highly anticipated Zimbabwe vs West Indies on June 24.

The venue will further stage five more games, with four of them in the Super Six stage. The World Cup Qualifiers final on July 9 will also be held at the HSC.