Irreparable outfield and not rain forced the Hyderabad T20I to be called off

After Australia’s brilliant comeback in the second T20I game in Guwahati, which levelled the three-match series 1-1, all eyes were turned to the Hyderabad game, which could have placed India at World no. 1 in T2OI rankings had they won. However, that was not to happen, as a soft outfield was enough to call off the whole game.

The fans, who cheered for hours as the Indian side played football in the sidelines in the hopes of at least a truncated game, had to make their long way back home disappointed and infuriated. Hyderabad has been experiencing evening rains for 21 days at a stretch but on Friday, the stadium hardly saw any downpour that could have endangered the game.

The ground staff tried to repair the soggy patches for hours by heaps of sawdust and later even pedestal fans, but to no avail. Officials of the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) maintained that the field had been kept in cover fully and it was the ground slopes that led the moisture to slide off the square.

A member of the ground staff told ESPNcricinfo, “We are all very upset. There is no way we can fight nature. What can we possibly do if it has rained on each of the last 21 days? We worked hard to prepare a good pitch and were confident that the game would start, but we couldn't overcome nature.”

With both India and Australia finishing as winners in the series, it was the crowd that was the main loser. The result was announced only after the players had left for their team hotels with no prize distribution ceremonies or announcement made, keeping a strong 30, 000 crowd in the dark till the very end. They will hope to receive a good refund of the ticket price.