McLean Park in lockdown ahead of World Cup matches

At the centre of a major sporting coup one day, shut-down the next.

That's the way it is for McLean Park in Napier which has gone into lock-down ahead of three matches in the last week-and-a-half of the ICC Cricket World Cup preliminary rounds.

On Thursday it was announced the park will, in July, be the venue for an NRL match.

Even the major users, the Hawke's Bay Rugby Union, has been kicked out of its offices in the park's Chapman Pavilion, an email from the union earlier this week having advised its clubs that staff will in the meantime be working mainly from home.

Extra security fencing has been installed around the ground, including the car park used by rugby union staff.

Last night union CEO Mike Bishop said the staff would be allowed "back-in" for three days (March 10-12) between the second and third of the games.

"It is what it is," he said. "The whole country's supporting the Cricket World Cup, so we're comfortable with it."

The first game of Napier's week-and-a-half of the ICC Cricket World Cup is a day-night match on Wednesday between Pakistan and United Arab Emirates (UAE), starting at 2pm.

The other two matches are Sunday games, both starting at 11am, between New Zealand and Afghanistan on March 8, and between West Indies and UAE on March 15, the last day of preliminary matches, ending with eight teams qualifying for quarter-final matches over the following week at venues such as the Sydney Cricket Ground, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Adelaide Oval, and the Wellington Regional Stadium (otherwise known as Westpac Stadium).

With the cup's gala dinner being held in Auckland last night, details on the progress of ticket sales for the Napier games, attendances to date and projections for the numbers expected at McLean Park were unavailable.

Tickets are available through Ticketek, ranging in price from $5 to $60, plus booking fees. Security measures restrict sales to eight tickets per purchase.

Last night, MetService was forecasting a fine and hot day for Wednesday's game, but there was an early prediction of showers for New Zealand's Black Caps' appearance in Napier four days later.