KANPUR: As you approached the Green Park Stadium on Sunday morning, you could see hordes of excited fans pointing towards the blue sky as they briskly walked to watch the third day of the second Test between India and Bangladesh.
The smattering of dark clouds could not bog them down. Little did they know that poor condition of the outfield would not allow a ball to be bowled in the day.
There was no rain all day. But there wasn't any play either. That effectively means that there is a very slim chance of getting a result and India may lose out on some crucial World Test Championship points.
Covers were off but the umpires weren't happy with the outfield which was under covers for nearly two days. The match officials had told both teams to stay put at the hotel until there could be a chance of resuming play after they had gone off the field post lunch on Day One. The crowd waited patiently and vociferously cheered every time the officials came out to inspect the outfield, every two hours.
Soon, things were to turn rather comical. When the umpires felt the field wasn't ready to start the game even at 12 pm and scheduled another inspection at 2 pm, the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) officials started announcing that the game could not be started because of poor light. It was the brightest in the last three days!
Shiv Kumar, the chief curator, claimed that the light wasn't good enough albeit one could see the umpires were concerned about some damp patches inside the 30-yard circle. "The ground is absolutely fit to play. The moisture has been absorbed by the super sopper. The umpires feel it needs the sun for a natural element of heat," Shiv Kumar told TOI.
At 2 pm, when the sun was beating down on the stadium, the officials called off the match citing a wet outfield.
The Green Park Stadium's facilities have been under scrutiny for a while and UPCA's stubbornness to host the Test here despite the Indian team management's reluctance to play here must have left the association embarrassed.
