Floodlight malfunction in IND vs ENG ODI puts OCA in trouble; Odisha government sends show cause notice for 'disruption'
The malfunction caused a 35-minute stoppage during the second innings of the match when India were chasing 305.
The Odisha government, on Monday, asked the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) to submit a detailed explanation over the floodlight failure at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, which disrupted the second ODI match between India and England on Sunday. The malfunction caused a 35-minute stoppage during the second innings of the match when India were chasing 305.
The incident happened during the start of the seventh over of India's innings, when openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill got the team off to a flier, scoring 48 off 37 balls. One of the floodlights at the venue suddenly went off, leaving the players from both teams frustrated. The on-field umpires eventually asked them to leave the ground.
In the letter to the OCA, with the subject "show cause for disruption in match caused due to light failure," Siddhartha Das, IAS, Director Sports, Government of Odisha, wrote: “This incident led to about 30 minutes suspension of the match, causing inconvenience to players and spectators. The OCA is hereby directed to submit a detailed explanation for the cause of the disruption and identify the persons/ agencies who were responsible for such lapses and outline the measures taken to prevent similar incidents in the future."
OCA have been given 10 days to submit their explanation.
What caused the floodlight malfunction?
According to a report in the Indian Express, the malfunction was caused after the generator connected that floodlight conked off. The incident also raised questions on Cuttack's efficiency in hosting an international game as it staged an ODI match after six years at the Barabati Stadium.
"When one generator malfunctioned, we put the second one in service. But it required some time to move the generator as the players' vehicle was parked in between the tower and the second generator," OCA secretary Sanjay Behara told reporters on Sunday.