Lighting inadequate for Kochi day-nighter: BCCI

A BCCI team expressed its reservations in staging the ODI at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium as they felt the lighting arrangements were insufficient.

A two-member BCCI team on Sunday expressed its reservations in staging the day-night ODI between India and England at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium here on April 6 as they felt the lighting arrangements were insufficient.

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BCCI Executive Secretary Ratnakar Shetty, along with former international umpire S K Bansal, inspected the stadium to assess the lighting arrangement, after the Kerala Cricket Association asked for a day-night match.

"We don't want to take chances and invite criticism from any quarter. However, we will also report to the Board that the KCA was ready to rectify the drawbacks. At least some play should be staged to test the lights ahead of the ODI. KCA should have done it earlier," Shetty said.

He said they also talked to the members of Indian veterans team who played a day-night match against Pakistan here recently and found the lights were not upto the mark.

KCA president T C Mathew said the association wanted to stage the alloted ODI as day-night match in view of the scorching summer heat, humid conditions and the examinations for students.

The association said it would soon take steps to rectify the lighting system and had already contacted the concerned company which had installed the lights, which was originally meant for football matches.