GUWAHATI: As the much touted ‘sports capital of the country’ was set to host the first T20i of the year 2020, the match at Guwahati’s Barsapara stadium was called off on Sunday after a brief spell of rain. The series opener between India and Sri Lanka was scheduled to begin at 7 PM IST but was delayed due to rain after the toss.
While the first spell of rain for 40 minutes wasn’t heavy, the continuous pouring made matters for the grounds men at Barsapara Stadium difficult. G Plus had earlier reported that with unseasonal rains predicted for Guwahati and the regions around it, the India vs Sri Lanka T20I match faced the very real possibility of being rained out.
However, as the ground staff started its repair work the second spell of showers, which only abated at around 9:00 PM, had already affected the pitch.
Matters at the stadium looked really bad when the grounds men had to resort to hair dryers, steam irons and vacuum cleaners in their efforts to dry out the wet patches on the pitch.
As expected, Social Media soon pulled out their big guns and brutally trolled match officials and grounds men for not using proper equipments to ready the pitch.
ACA Secretary, Devajit Lon Saikia speaking to G Plus about the wet patches said, “If there was anything wrong with the pitch covers, the first spell of rain would have damaged the pitch. Yesterday (Saturday) also there was heavy rainfall till 10-11 o’clock, (but nothing happened). These are very high quality pitch covers. We have the best of pitch covers across stadiums in Assam. There is nothing wrong with the pitch covers and I don’t know who has cooked up the story.”
Speaking on whether the IPL matches would be affected due to the abandoned match, Saikia said, “No. Not at all! Atleast 2 matches will be played in Guwahati and Rajasthan Royals have shown keen interest in the same.”
However, fans were utterly disappointed with the rain playing spoilsport.
“We are more concerned about the crowd now. We will refund them the money within 7 (seven) days. Tickets were sold online via Book My Show, so we will refund the money. We also made the announcement at the stadium. People are very happy with the Assam Cricket Association,” he further added.
Saikia will speak to the grounds men at Barsapara tomorrow and further investigate the matter.
