Delhi cricket pitch committee quits after Kotla fiasco

The members of the pitch and ground committee of the Delhi and District Cricket Association resigned taking moral responsibility over the abandonment of the fifth and final cricket ODI between India and Sri Lanka due to an unplayable wicket in Delhi on Sunday. Kotla stares at ban

The members of the pitch and ground committee of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) resigned taking moral responsibility over the abandonment of the fifth and final cricket one-day international (ODI) between India and Sri Lanka due to an unplayable wicket in Delhi on Sunday.

HT Image

After a meeting of top DDCA officials, the committee chairman Chetan Chauhan, convener Sunil Dev and curator Vijay Bahadur Mishra stepped down.

"At a meeting of senior officials of DDCA, the chairman and members of pitch and ground committee of (the) DDCA, including the curator, resigned owning moral responsibility after the abandonment of the India-Sri Lanka ODI," DDCA Secretary S P Bansal said in a statement.

Earlier during the day, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) disbanded its grounds and pitches committee with immediate effect.

The fifth and final ODI was abandoned as the wicket was deemed too "dangerous for play".

Match referee Alan Hurst said in a statement: "The decision to abandon the match was taken by myself, in consultation with the on-field umpires Marais Erasmus and Shavir Tarapore and both the captains, as it was clear that the pitch had extremely variable bounce and was too dangerous for further play."

"I'd like to commend the on-field umpires and captains for continuing as long as they did in the hope that the pitch may settle down. Unfortunately, this did not happen."

The match was called off with Sri Lanka 83-5 in 23.3 overs after being put into bat by the home side.