India vs Sri Lanka: BCCI could have prevented embarrassment in Guwahati T20I by spending just Rs 50000

Guwahati, Jan 6: The first Twenty20 International between India and Sri Lanka was called off on Sunday (January 5) due to wet patches on the track as Assam Cricket Association (ACA) groundsmen failing to prevent the rainwater from seeping into the covers. The BCCI officials will now seek a report from the chief curator as fans, as well as the experts, criticised the 'elementary mistake'.

It started pouring 15 minutes before the scheduled time after India captain Virat Kohli won the toss and invited the opposition captain to bat first on a slow Guwahati pitch. The rain spell lasted less than an hour but the ground could not be prepared in time as the dampness on the pitch prevented the start of the game.

India Vs Sri Lanka, 1st T20I: Match abandoned due to damp pitch

The umpires held several inspections but the dampness on the pitch did not allow a single ball to be bowled, much to the disappointment of a strong 35000 crowd at Barsapara Cricket Stadium, which was hosting only its second T20I.

The cut off for a five-over shootout was 9.46 pm but the outfield could not be prepared in time and match referee David Boon called off the match shortly before 10 pm.

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The groundsmen toiled hard for two hours using a steam iron, roller, and a drier to clear up the dampness but it all turned out to be futile after water leaked into the covers.

It is being said that the cost of the best quality covers for covering the pitch would have cost just Rs 50000 instead the ground staff used a poor quality plastic which resulted in rainwater seeping into the pitch. Even the use of steam iron and hair dryers didn't yield any positive results and the richest board in the world became the butt of all jokes on the social media for its negligence.

Speaking to IANS, a BCCI official said that this was elementary and is a direct effect of the lack of experience among the new state association officials. He also pointed at the lack of preparedness of chief curator Ashish Bhowmick and BCCI CEO Rahul Johri.

"These things will happen as there is a learning curve that officials of all associations are faced with after the implementation of the Lodha reforms. No association had the opportunity to plan for succession and continuity. In this day and age continuity strategies remain one of the biggest concerns for stakeholders across the globe.

"The associations were never given the opportunity to address this concern. I think a lot of blame lies with the BCCI's curator and ultimately with the CEO who should at least had the foresight to ensure the basics were in place," he said.