Pitch fiasco at the Feroz Shah Kotla during the final ODI

Sports - By admin on Friday, January 1, 2010 - 16:25

In the last one-day international match being played at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground of Delhi, Sri Lanka, sent in to bat, were 83-5 in the 24th over when the umpires stopped play with officials deeming the surface too treacherous for play to continue.

Correspondents say the cancellation of the match has cast doubt over the four games that the Kotla ground is scheduled to host for the 2011 World Cup. However, Haroon Logat, chief executive officer of the International Cricket Council said that it was "too early to comment on the status of Kotla's World Cup games."

The penalty can vary from a simple warning to the cricket authorities to suspension of international matches at the venue for a period of time.

The problem with the pitch became clear after a ball from India seamer Sudeep Tyagi bounced alarmingly before going head-high to wicketkeeper Mahendra Dhoni. The square at Kotla had been relaid in April but came in for fierce criticism during both the Champions League and the one-day series against Australia because of its low bounce.