Margao: A damp outfield caused by overnight rains delayed the start of play in the third and final ODI between India and Australia for more than three hours here on Sunday.
On-field umpires Billy Bowden and Amish Saheba, accompanied by ICC match referee Chris Broad, had an inspection of the entire Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium ground, including the bowlers’ run-up and the wet areas on the outfield at 11 am before deciding to have another inspection at 12:15 pm.
With more than three hours of play already lost due to inclement weather, the match is expected to be a truncated one despite sunny conditions this morning.
The ground was covered by tarpaulins overnight which protected most parts of it but still there were some seepages at the outfield. Super sopper was employed to suck up the water from the covers.The wicket itself looked dry and fit for play.
India are 1-0 up going into the deciding clash after winning the second match at Visakhapatnam on October 20 by five wickets. The series opener in Kochi last Sunday was washed out.To make matters more difficult for the organisers, Goa Cricket Association, the sightscreen at the north end of the ground collapsed half an hour before the second umpires’ inspection.
The screen, mounted on wheels, simply tilted over and fell down leading to more headaches for the ground authorities who had worked hard to try and make the conditions playable after the unseasonal rains lashed this Goan town in the last few days.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, October 24, 2010, 12:55