On this day, December 27,2009: The fifth ODI between India and Sri Lanka was abandoned due to dangerous pitch in Delhi. The match was a dead rubber as India had already sealed the series 3-1. Sri Lanka were
playing for pride and India were looking to put up another good performance and finish well. But unfortunately, the match made headlines for the wrong reasons. A match getting called off because of the weather is has happened often. But when it happens because the pitch is dangerous for the batters, it is something nobody wants to remember.
Sri Lanka were 83/5 in 23.3 overs after being put in to bat. It was a very dangerous pitch as ball was rising due to unevenly bounce. Sri Lankan opener Dilshan were getting hit all over the body as ball was bouncing unevenly and even the Indian players were not looking confident as they knew they would have to bat next on this surface and it would only get worse as the game progresses.
After discussing with the curator, the match referee decided to call off the game for the safety of the player. It was poor pitch provided by DDCA and in hindsight, it was the right decision. There was already a lot of damage was done, if not called off, more damage was possible. India already won the series 3-1 so this match would not have served much context.
This was not the first time a game was abandoned due to the pitch being dangerous. Back in 1997, an ODI in Indore between India and Sri Lanka was called off because the pitch was unsafe and after three overs of the Sri Lankan innings, the game was brought to a halt.
Back in 1998, the famous Test in Kingston between England and West Indies was called off after 10.1 overs on Day One due to the unpredictable pitch. It was a sad day for fans who turned up at the ground wanting to witness some action in the cold.
