The Ranji Trophy fixture between Railways and Punjab at Karnail Singh Stadium in New Delhi had to be suspended after the surface was deemed “dangerous and unfit for play” by the match officials. The match will restart on a fresh pitch from Thursday and it will be a two-day game.
What happened?
During the drinks break on Day 2, on-field umpires K Madanagopal and Rajeeev Ghodara in consultation with match referee Youraj Singh to suspend the Railways vs Punjab fixture after both the captains raised flags about the safety of the pitch. By then 24 wickets had fallen with one of Railways batsman Arindam Ghosh already suffering a fractured finger and several others hit on their body.
What are the protocols?
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Once both the captains felt it unsafe to carry on, the match officials were left with two options. 1) To check if the pitch could be repaired and continue on it. 2) To start the game fresh on a new pitch. With the former not being possible, they have opted for a new pitch.
So what does that mean?
Had the match continued on the used pitch, then Punjab would have resumed their second innings at 18/4. Since it is a new pitch, a fresh toss has to take place and the play can’t be extended beyond the remaining two days. So on Thursday, the match will start fresh and all the rules applicable to a four-day fixture will remain in place and it will have four innings. In case, the first innings is not completed at the end of Day 2, then both teams will get one point each.
(File) 
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