India v Sri Lanka 5th ODI Abandoned Due to Unfit Pitch
Tillakaratne Dilshan slumps to the ground after being struck, India v Sri Lanka, 5th ODI, December 27, 2009
Kumar Sangakkara was forced to lead his players off, India v Sri Lanka, 5th ODI, December 27, 2009
The final one-day between India and Sri Lanka has abandoned. After lengthy discussions between the match officials, the team staff, the local authorities and the curator, the pitch has been deemed dangerous to continue on.
The players have walked off the field for the moment as there are some closed-room discussions going on between the local authorities and the match officials.
It was surprising it took them 23.3 overs to call off play. On a Kotla pitch where the bounce varied from shin to shoulder in as short a spell as consecutive deliveries, Sri Lanka had reason to be thankful for they got away with just two hits on the body that needed attention.
At around 11.20am, one length delivery from debutant Sudeep Tyagi reared up from a length to almost clear MS Dhoni behind the stumps, and the players had had enough by then.
Sri Lanka were tottering at 83/5 in the final ODI, when the match was called off, as they lost half of their side inside 18 overs against India at Feroz Shah Kotla stadium.
Right from the start, occasional deliveries alarmingly reared up and one such hit Tillakaratne Dilshan on his forearm, leaving him in pain and needing on-field treatment.
But play continued till the 24th over when a Sudeep Tyagi delivery kicked off the pitch and wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni struggled to collect it.
Sri Lankan batsman Thilan Kandamby first had a word with Dhoni before he approached the umpires. Umpires Marais Erasmus and Shavir Tarapore soon conferred and Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara was seen gesturing to his teammates from the dressing room.
Subsequently, Match Referee Alan Hurst also walked in and they were joined by Kotla curator Vijay Bahadur Mishra and BCCI Pitch and Grounds Committee chairman Daljit Singh.
Sangakkara also joined them, along with India coach Gary Kirsten and his Sri Lanka counterpart Trevor Bayliss also walked out.
Delhi and District Cricket Association officials, including vice president Chetan Chauhan, offered another pitch to Hurst but it was denied by the match referee.
Earlier in the morning, Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who returned after serving two-match ban, won the toss and opted to field first against Sri Lanka in the fifth and final One-Day International of the 5-match series.
Leading the Indian side in absence of regular skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni - who served a two-match ban - Virender Sehwag also wanted to seal the issue in Kolkata itself for he was not sure of the track at Feroz Shah Kotla.
Sachin Tendulkar has been rested for the dead rubber as skipper Dhoni replaced him in the final eleven. The batting great has already pulled out of India's tri-series in Bangladesh.
Uttar Pradesh seamer Sudeep Tyagi replaced Ishant Sharma. Mahela Jayawardene ruled out of the match due to injury while Lasith Malinga has been dropped.
Chanaka Welegedara came back into the final eleven after missing the last ODI while Muthumudalige Pushpakumara replaced Jayawardene.
Brief scores
Sri Lanka: 83 for 5 (Jayasuriya 31, Zaheer 2-31)
