The disappointment was visibly apparent on the faces of the Bengal cricketers as they walked back to the pavilion on Friday afternoon.
After a long wait, their innings against Assam had just begun in a rain-curtailed, eight-overs-a-side Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy fixture.
But five minutes into the game, the two opening batsmen – Shreevats Goswami and Vivek Singh – had to rush back to the dressing room as heavy rain lashed the Bandra Kurla Complex, eventually leading to the game being abandoned. By then, Bengal had scored 3-0 in three balls.
The teams split two points each.
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The earlier fixture of the day between Haryana and Meghalaya too had been abandoned due to a wet outfield, as the city witnessed heavy rain since the early hours of the day, and the groundsmen and match officials took a final call to abandon the fixture without a ball being bowled.
With the weather improving as the day progressed, there had been hope of having a full match between Bengal and Assam, which wasn’t to be.
Bengal coach Arun Lal admitted that with the first match called off, it will be more challenging for the teams. “It’s a tough tournament. Now our options are limited. Out of the six games, we have to win at least five if we want to qualify. That’s how difficult it has become,” he said.
Bengal next plays Mizoram at the same venue on Saturday, while Assam plays Madhya Pradesh.
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