GUWAHATI, Jan 6: The BCCI and Assam Cricket Association (ACA) authorities are at the receiving end of angry fans who were shocked at the sight of hair dryers, steam irons and even vacuum cleaners being used to dry the Barsapara Stadium pitch on Sunday in a desperate attempt to save the T20 international between India and Sri Lanka from getting called off without a ball being bowled.
But that’s what, unfortunately, happened in the end.
Cricket fans — from Assam, across the country and even abroad — took to the social media and went berserk after ground staff used hairdryers, steam irons and vacuum cleaners to dry the wet patches in the playing surface.
“We’ve seen hairdryers, steam irons and vacuum cleaners used on the pitch at Guwahati. What is the strangest item you have used on seen used to dry a cricket field?” tweeted ESPNcricinfo.com after broadcaster Star Sports beamed visuals showing the ground staff use all resources at their disposal to dry the wet patches on the pitch.
A twitterati replied with an edited image of Indian skipper Virat Kohli holding a steam iron in his hand and trying to dry the wet patches on the pitch.
— Ꚃ𝑝ίḑ𝓨 🇱🇰☸️🕉 (@bambarawanage) January 5, 2020
Image of the day, wrote another fan.
Image of the day!🤣👌🏻#Guwahati #INDvsSL #INDvSL #HairDryer https://t.co/9BXv7kmWab
— Parag🇮🇳 (@im_parag21) January 5, 2020
When Barber does a part time job.., another twitterati wrote.
When Barber does a part time job..😑😑
#hairdryer used for drying the Pitch in #Guwahati match 😦😦#INDvSL pic.twitter.com/ainT9TBxwl— Sai_Srinivas_πD (@SaiSrinivasPai1) January 6, 2020
Meanwhile, fans who had booked tickets for the match came out angry and disappointed.
“We were very much optimistic that it would be a great game. Despite the showers, play could have been possible had the groundsmen acted with some caution. But what they did was simply disgusting. And then using hair dryers, irons and vacuum cleaners was a display of utter inexperience. They have shamed us,” an angry fan told News Live while exiting the stadium.
The match, the first outing for the Men in Blue in the New Year 2020, was abandoned after water seeped onto the pitch from the covers and left damp patches on the playing surface. What happened after that will probably be etched in every fan’s memories.
