New Delhi, Dec 27 (IANS) For the packed crowd braving the northern wintry chill at the Ferozeshah , it turned out to be a damp Sunday as the fifth and the final ODI between India and Sri Lanka was called off due to an unsafe pitch after barely two hours of play.
They 40,000-odd crowd stood patiently in long queues, went through the security checks at various points to watch the India-Sri Lanka encounter despite that fact that it was an inconsequential ODI as the hosts had already clinched the series 3-1 in Kolkata.

But little did they know that soon they would be heading home dejected as it took 23.3 overs for both the teams, umpires and Match Referee to realise that the pitch was dangerous for batting.

The play was stopped at 11.20 a.m. Just over an hour later, the giant scoreboard flashed that the match had been called off, leading to roars of disapproval from the crowd.

The crowd soon started hurling seat covers and water bottles into the ground as the security staff and police officials swung into action. Spectators slowly started turning out disappointed when the gates were thrown open even as some pulled down the advertising hoardings.

Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) offered its apology and promised the spectators their money back. But it could not soothe frayed tempers.

“We came here to see a cricket match, not to return home in this manner. This is very disappointing,” said Manan Mehta, a fan.

“If this is what sporting officials have to offer, I wonder how Delhi would host such a mega event like Commonwealth Games. This stadium is also going to host cricket World Cup matches and is this the kind of wicket they will produce for the World Cup,” asked Pankaj, a software engineer.

Asked another cricket enthusiast: “It’s a big blot for DDCA and the entire cricket management. I can understand if the match had to be called off due to bad weather, but how can you justify a match not being played because of poor pitch.”