The International Cricket Council (ICC) has banned Ferozshah Kotla in the national capital from hosting international matches for a year after match referee Alan Hurst reported the wicket prepared for the fifth and final ODI between India and Sri Lanka as "unfit".
Contradicting his home association, star batsman Gautam Gambhir on Tuesday said Match Referee Alan Hurst did the right thing by abandoning the fifth and final India-Sri Lanka ODI because the Ferozeshah Kotla track was not fit for an international game.
Sri Lanka "chickened out" of their fifth and final ODI against India fearing defeat and match referee Alan Hurst unnecessarily called off the match, an unrepentant Delhi and District Cricket Association alleged in New Delhi on Monday.
Sri Lanka and West Indies drew their three-match Test series 0-0 after the final match had to be abandoned because of rain.
The ICC on Saturday gave a clean chit to Kumar Sangakkara, who was involved in an unsavoury incident with New Zealand all-rounder Nathan McCullum during a tri-series match, saying the Sri Lanka captain was found not guilty of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct.
South Africa captain Graeme Smith was docked 20 per cent of his match fee, while his team-mates were fined 10 per cent for maintaining a slow over-rate during their win over New Zealand during their Super Eight match in their Twenty20 World Cup in Barbados.
The second Test between West Indies and England was embarrassingly abandoned after 10 balls on Friday because of the state of the outfield at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. Match referee Alan Hurst told a news conference play would resume, officially as the third Test of what will now be a five-Test series, on Sunday at the Antigua Recreation Ground -- the island's old Test venue.
Breaking his silence on the Ferozeshah Kotla pitch fiasco, Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara said the track did not look "normal" soon after the first five overs and was too dangerous to continue playing.
Match referee Alan Hurst says the pitch for the fifth and final ODI between India and Sri Lanka did not meet the requirements for an ODI match.
The first day's play in the second Test match between West Indies and England was abandoned in Antigua on Friday because of an 'unfit and dangerous' pitch, match referee Alan Hurst said. West Indies bowlers were struggling to complete their run-ups because of sand on the ground used to plug holes in the outfield. England were seven for no wicket when play was halted.
Rahul Dravid's side was ruled to be one over short of its target at the scheduled finish of the Ireland innings, an International Cricket Council statement said.
The West Indies bowler was found guilty of using inappropriate language by Match Referee Alan Hurst during the fourth Test against England.
ICC match referee Alan Hurst of the Emirates Elite Panel imposed the fines after Mahela Jayawardene's side was ruled to be two overs short of its target in the second ODI against India.
Craig McMillan was fined 25 percent of his match fee while Scott Styris was reprimanded for misconduct during a ODI against Bangladesh last week.
Alan Hurst was left fuming after he found that facilities at the Sawai Mansingh stadium in Jaipur were not in accordance with international standards.
The England player was cleared of charges, relating to the dismissal of Nafees Iqbal, when it was alleged that Jones took "the ball on the bounce".
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