Kotla pitch was dangerous to play on, asserts Sangakkara

COLOMBO - Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara has finally fired his salvo at the Ferozeshah Kotla pitch, saying that it was a “dangerous pitch to play on”.

“Even after 6-10 overs, we could feel that the pitch was not normal. But the Match Referee (Alan Hurst) said, ‘I cannot do anything. It was a call for the on-field umpires to take’. We spoke to the fourth umpire as well. We cannot, from outside, make a request to the on-field umpires. So, the two on-field batsmen had to make a request,” Sangakkara said here.

The dangerous track forced the abandonment of the fifth and the final ODI in Delhi after 23 overs and the Kotla is now facing sanctions from the International Cricket Council (ICC).

“The umpires were also waiting to see whether the pitch would improve. By the 23rd over, they knew that it did not even out. Then (Muthumudalige) Pushpakumara got hit and (Thilina) Kandamby nearly got hit,” said Sangakkara.

“Kandamby spoke to the umpire who said they were also waiting for the pitch to improve but that it had not. So, it was a dangerous batting pitch to play on,” he added.

On the tour, Sangakkara said: “We saw how the young players Suranga Lakmal, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera and Suraj Randiv performed. Young players are starting to realise it’s anybody’s game now and we are going to see them pushing everyone for places, not just for the World Cup but for other tours as well. It’s a great step forward in Sri Lanka cricket.”