Floodlights malfunction during IND vs ENG ODI triggers political row, Odisha government demands explanation

Floodlights malfunction during IND vs ENG ODI triggers political row

The second ODI between India and England at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Sunday witnessed an embarrassing moment due to floodlight failure. The incident took place during the first powerplay of the Indian run-chase and brought an abrupt halt in the proceedings, also leaving Indian skipper Rohit Sharma frustrated.

India were batting at 48 for no loss after 6.1 overs while chasing 305 when the tower at long-on started to flicker and then shut down completely. The players were forced to return to respective dugouts and it took 35 minutes to fix the problem before action resumed.

The incident raised serious concerns about OCA’s efficiency to host international matches at Barabati, which hosted an ODI after six years. Additionally it also led to massive trolling among fans online.

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A day after the incident a fresh report has emerged of the Odisha government demanding an explanation from the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) for the disruption. As reported by the Indian express, the OCA sources informed that the generator connected to one of the six floodlights broke down, leading to the delay.

“This incident led to about 30 minutes suspension of the match, causing inconvenience to players and spectators. The OCA is hereby directed to submit a detailed explanation for the cause of the disruption and identify the persons/ agencies who were responsible for such lapses and outline the measures taken to prevent similar incidents in the future,” a letter issued by the Odisha sports department to the OCA read.

The OCA has been asked to submit the explanation within 10 days.

The report further mentioned that the disruption also triggered a political row in the state. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the opposition party in Odisha, questioned the BJP government’s seriousness in organising international matches.