Ranji Trophy: 2nd shortest game in history between Kerala, Himachal Pradesh under scanner

The match was played at at the Perinthalmanna Cricket Stadium, Malappuram, which saw Himachal beating Kerala by six wickets inside two days.

New Delhi: Days after the International Cricket Council (ICC) stated the Nagpur Test's pitch between India and South Africa as poor, a match between Kerala and Himachal Pradesh in the current Ranji season is the centre of criticism after it ended before lunch on second day.

According to a report in The Times of India, match referee Pranab Roy is likely to censure the Kerala Cricket Association in his report to BCCI.

The match was played at at the Perinthalmanna Cricket Stadium, Malappuram, which saw Himachal beating Kerala by six wickets. It was the second shortest match in history of Ranji cricket.

The first-ever Ranji game between Madras and Mysore in 1934 at Chepauk, which finished on the very first day itself in 1934, remains to be the shortest game in Ranji cricket's history.

When asked about the actions he would take against the match, Roy told TOI, “As a match referee, I am not supposed to comment on the game. But what happened out there was for all of you to see. My report to the board will be an honest assessment how the game got over in under four sessions."

Meanwhile, KCA president TC Mathew, who is also one of the vice-presidents of BCCI, defended his side making the best use of the home advantage.

"Even Indian national team is banking on home advantage in the Test series against SA and I see nothing wrong in exploiting home team's strength. There is no point in producing wickets where teams score more than 500 runs making bowlers life hell. This was a game where Kerala had to win and I am sure the curator prepared a wicket which was result-oriented. Himachal won this game which shows that life wasn't all that difficult for the visitors on the wicket in Perinthalmanna and we must give full credit to them," said Mathew.

The report added that Malappuram District Cricket Association had received instructions from Kerala team to prepare a rank turner to suit their needs for the crucial encounter.