NEW DELHI, (Reuters) – The fifth and final one-day international between Sri Lanka and India was abandoned after 23.3 overs yesterday due to a dangerous pitch at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium.
Sri Lanka had toiled on the tricky surface to reach 83 for five after being put in to bat in foggy conditions when the match was called off after the pitch was deemed unfit to play on due to unpredictable bounce.
The decision to end the match early enabled India to win the series 3-1.
“The decision to abandon the match was taken by myself, in consultation with the on-field umpires Marais Erasmus and Shavir Tarapore, and both captains as it was clear that the pitch had extremely variable bounce and was too dangerous for further play,” match referee Alan Hurst said in an International Cricket Council statement.
“I’d like to commend the on-field umpires and captains for continuing as long as they did in the hope that the pitch may settle down. Unfortunately, this did not happen.
“Before abandoning the match, consideration was given to shifting the match to a secondary pitch. However, it was deemed impractical as the secondary pitch was not adequately prepared.”
Tillakaratne Dilshan (31) suffered a painful blow on his left elbow off paceman Ashish Nehra, but carried on after treatment before he fell to spearhead fast bowler Zaheer Khan.
Sanath Jayasuriya (20), celebrating his 21st year in international cricket, suffered a blow on his finger when he fended at debutant paceman Sudeep Tyagi as some deliveries leapt up from a good length while others kept low.
Tyagi got the ball to fly past batsman Thilina Kandamby (12 not out) after hitting a crack, forcing the batsmen to speak to the umpires.
A packed Kotla crowd reacted angrily to the abandonment, hurtling chair covers onto the field and a section of spectators raised banners demanding their money back.
“We offer our apologies to all spectators,” CNN-IBN TV channel quoted a release from the regional Delhi and District Cricket Association, saying that all gate receipts would be refunded.
The Board of Control for Cricket India said in a statement that it had disbanded its Grounds and Pitches Committee following the incident.
This is the second ODI to be abandoned in India due to unfit pitch conditions after the game in Indore in 1997 between the same two teams.
