Final ODI abandoned

India clinch series 3-1:

The fifth and final one day match between India and Sri Lanka was called off after 23.3 overs as the pitch in Ferozeshah Kotla was deemed dangerous and unfit for play.

Sri Lanka which had already lost the series 3–1 were put in to bat and were 83 for 5 when a ball from debutant seamer Sudeep Tyagi bounced alarmingly and almost cleared wicket-keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Sangakkara then gestured to the two batsmen in the middle Kandambi and Pushpakumara to speak to the umpires. Subsequently match referee Alan Hurst of Australia walked to the middle and spoke to the umpires, Marais Erasmus of South Africa and Shavir Tarapore of India. Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara too joined and after Indian skipper Dhoni was also summoned for a mid field discussion play was abandoned.

Suggestions to re play the game in the adjoining pitch with a reduced number of overs did not materials as that pitch too had too much of grass in it, leaving some 40,000 home fans at the stadium disappointed.

Earlier two Sri Lankan batsmen, Tillakaratne Dilshan was hit in the elbow from a delivery from Nereh in the 10th over while Sanath Jayasuriya, who made the highest score of 31 in the match were hit on the body by balls that rose after pitching, while some other deliveries kept low.

Incidentally Jayasuriya was yesterday completed 20 years of playing international cricket.

Sri Lanka suffed a major blow in the first ball itself when inform batsman Upul Tharanga was bowled round his legs by Khan. Dilshan followed him being adjudged LBW to Harbhajan for 20.

More disaster was in store for the visitors when skipper Sangakkara drove apishly towards cover for Raina to take catch giving the first international wicket to Tyagi.

Tilan Samaraweera hesitating and gong for a run found his ground short to a super direct hit from Kohli. With half of the side gone for 63 Pushpakumara and Kandamby added 20 runs.

Kandamby was unbeaten on 12 and Muthumudalige Pushpakumara was on seven when play was stopped. Khan once again impressed taking two wickets while Harbhajan also was among the wickets.

Due to groin injury Jayawardane was replaced while out of form Malinga was not considered in place of Welegedara and debutant Pushpakumara. In a1997 too a one day match was abandoned between the two teams in Indore, India due the same reasons. Just three overs of play were possible in that ODI and the venue was banned for two years from hosting any international match. The DDCA-governed Feroz Shah Kotla could also draw the same penalty from the International Cricket Council (ICC).

With over an hour’s delay and no play, the crowd started to shout slogans against the DDCA and threw seat covers and water bottles into the ground.

This is the second successive embracement the Indian cricket suffered. In the previous match at Eden gardens which was partly shut for renovations was halted for more than 20 minutes as the flood lights failed.