The rain and the resultant soft underfoot conditions proved to be frustrating on the third day of the Kerala-Hyderabad Ranji Trophy Elite Pool B match at the St. Xavier’s cricket stadium, Thumba on Saturday.
A prompt start had looked unlikely with the city experiencing heavy downpour since Friday evening.
The umpires G.S. Anantharamakrishnan and Vineet Kulkarni ruled out play after the first inspection at 11.30 a.m. by when the host Thiruvananthapuram District Cricket Association had also moved in a second super sopper from the nearby Kariyavattom Sports Hub.
AS IT HAPPENED: Ranji Trophy 2018-19, Day 3
The Hyderabad skipper P. Akshath Reddy raised his objection of putting the second super sopper into operation as the initial list of
equipments had mentioned only one. This led to further hard work by the entire ground staff, numbering around 20, under the leadership of curator Chandra Kumar to get things right which led to a second inspection at 12.30 p.m.
The umpires were still not convinced about the ground conditions and called for another look at 2 p.m. By then, it looked as if the match would get going, but the umpires prolonged their decision, citing a wet patch near the square-leg boundary.
Finally, a good five-and-a-half hours was lost before play began.
Hyderabad, resuming its first innings at 1 for no loss, lost Akshath caught behind by Sanju Samson off Sandeep Warrier almost straight away and this led to it turning too defensive through the extended hour before closing out the day at 30 for one off 21 overs.
With more rain predicted, it is unlikely that there will be a prompt start on Sunday, indicating there could be no result in the match.
Brief Scores
Kerala 1st innings: 495 for six decl. Hyderabad 1st innings ( Tanmay Agarwal (batting) 24; Total (for one wicket, 21 overs) 30.
