Members of DDCA pitch committee resign

The entire pitch and ground committee of the Delhi and District Cricket Administration resigned on Sunday owning moral responsibility for the pitch fiasco that led to the abandonment of the fifth and final One-Day International between India and Sri Lanka.

Chairman of the committee Chetan Chauhan, convener Sunil Dev and curator Vijay Bahadur Mishra were among those who resigned after a meeting of top DDCA functionaries.

"At a meeting of senior officials of DDCA, the chairman and members of pitch and ground committee of DDCA including the curator resigned owing moral responsibility after the abandonment of the India Sri Lanka ODI," read a statement from DDCA secretary S P Bansal.

The BCCI also disbanded its grounds and pitches committee with immediate effect following the pitch fiasco.

The game was abandoned after Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara refused to continue play on a dangerous pitch.

The visitors were tottering at 83 for 5 when batsman Thilina Kandamby complained to the on-field umpires, which led to an on-field conference involving Match Referee Alan Hurst, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Sangakkara, coaches from both sides Gary Kirsten and Trevor Bayliss and the Kotla curator Mishra.

DDCA officials, including its vice-president and former Test player Chetan Chauhan, offered another strip to Hurst but the match could not be saved.

India had already pocketed the five-match series after taking a 3-1 lead.