TV
A day after a floodlight malfunctioned during the second ODI between India-England on February 9, State Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Suryabanshi Suraj detailed strict measures and stated that he would urge the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to allot international cricket matches to the historic venue every year.
One of the six floodlights at the Cuttack Barabati Stadium malfunctioned at about the seventh over of the second innings throwing a section of the stadium into darkness and forcing players off the field while also leaving citizens across the country red-faced.
The Odisha Sports Department, on its part, issued a show-cause notice to the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) and demanded an explanation within 10 days.
Following this, the Sports Minister deemed the incident unfortunate but also expressed his hopes that it would not be repeated in the future and that the stadium would soon host regular international cricket matches.
“We have issued a show-cause notice to the OCA and remain hopeful that such an incident will not be repeated in the future. We will try and hold talks with the BCCI so that international matches are held in Cuttack every year,” stated Suryabanshi Suraj in his address to the media at the Ekal Vidyalaya's National Sports Meet in Bhubaneswar on Monday.
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Meanwhile, the temporary halt in the match, which lasted for about 25 minutes, was resolved after the OCA replaced a faulty generator. India went on to win the match with a resounding victory that also had Rohit Sharma score his first ODI century since 2023.
