BHUBANESWAR: The state govt on Monday sought a clarification from the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) within 10 days regarding the floodlight failure during the India-England ODI match at Barabati Stadium on Sunday evening, which caused a temporary match interruption.
“This incident led to about a 30-minute suspension of the match, causing inconvenience to players and spectators. 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. The findings must be submitted within 10 days,” read a letter from the Odisha sports and youth services department to the OCA.

During an interaction with journalists here on Monday, sports minister Suryabanshi Suraj expressed that the lighting issue disappointed cricket fans.
“The govt has taken the matter seriously and is investigating the incident to determine accountability. One can understand lighting failure due to technical issues. However, the extended 30-minute delay during an international match was concerning. The issue could have been avoided if it was handled more efficiently,” Suraj said.
The unprecedented interruption occurred during India’s 305-run chase under the floodlights. Play stopped with India at 48 without loss after 6.1 overs when one of the six floodlight towers near the long-on boundary started flickering before failing completely. Both teams waited in the stands for 30 minutes until the issue was resolved, causing embarrassment to OCA.
Sanjay Behera, secretary of OCA, said they would respond to the govt’s notice within the specified timeframe. The association expressed regret for the disruption. OCA said that their arrangements and pre-match inspection of the electrical equipment were foolproof. The association explained that a generator’s malfunction caused the temporary floodlight failure.
“The replacement process was delayed because a team bus blocked the access path to the backup generator. Locating the bus driver, who was not present in the vehicle, took additional time,” Behera said.
Behera said they have apprised the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) about the circumstances leading to the match disruption. “We are hopeful that the govt and BCCI will understand the situation and our sincere efforts,” Behera said. (EOM)