Lanka stay busy with practice as match called off

It was a match despite involving a senior international team that was scheduled to be played on a ground where no spectator was allowed to enter.....

It was a match despite involving a senior international team that was scheduled to be played on a ground where no spectator was allowed to enter. The weather didnt help the Sri Lankan cause either,as unseasonal rains in the city washed out the first day of their only practice game against the Board Presidents XI. And even though the sun shone brightly on Thursday,the lack of personnel and the all-important super-sopper ensured that Day Two didnt provide any match-practice for the visitors either.

There was some hope of play going into the final day,but even that wasnt to be as the three-day contest came to an inevitable end,with the match being called off after the umpires inspected the pitch at 11 am.

The pitch and the outfield were in good condition but it were the four-side wickets on which we practiced on the first two days that were very damp. And the area around the point,cover and mid-off positions were also damp, explained Sri Lankan manager Brendon Kuruppu. The Lankans,who spent the first two days practicing indoors,werent to be deterred as they promptly walked out for a three-hour session on the centre wicket. It was good to get some practice on the square today. We wouldnt want anyone getting injured two days before the first Test, said Kuruppu.

While the likes of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene battled against the spin trio of Muttiah Muralitharan,Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath,the Board Presidents XI boys were busy hunting for flight tickets back home and left the ground within minutes of the match being called off.

Poor scheduling

Most experts,including a few officials at the ground,believed that poor scheduling was one of the chief reasons for the match turning into a damp squib. If we had the super-sopper with us,we could have started play on the first day itself. It arrived here this morning and was in poor shape. It had clearly been overused at the DY Patil Stadium,and was leaking oil when we tried using it, said an official.

Apart from Sri Lankas tour game,the city also played host to the Ranji match between Mumbai and Orissa at the Cricket Club of India (CCI) ground while Mumbai and Orissa also took on each other in an under-22 contest at the MIG Cricket Club ground. With so many matches already scheduled in the city,there was no point of holding an international match of this stature here, said a groundstaff member.