CHENNAI: There can be various reasons for cricket matches not being completed. Rain, bad light, crowd trouble and unplayable pitches are some. What happened at the TI-Murugappa ground in Monday’s Vijay Hazare Trophy match between Jharkhand and Bengal was probably unprecedented. The match ended one over short because the teams took too long to complete their overs.
The bizarre incident in India’s premier 50-over competition saw the match called off at 6 pm (nine hours after it began at 9 am), with 49 overs bowled in the second innings.
Jharkhand were declared winners on the VJD Method (domestic equivalent of Duckworth-Lewis), normally used to determine results of rain-affected games. Probably for the first time, it was used on a day that saw no delay caused by external factors.
After Jharkhand took 258 minutes for 50 overs, Bengal took 252 minutes for 49. Teams get 210 minutes to bowl their quota, which means 420 minutes for 100 overs. Despite collectively overshooting the limit by 90 minutes, the teams ended an over short. Fewer overs would have been bowled had play not continued in near darkness.
Following rules, the match referee fined the captains along with their teams. But given the unprecedented nature of the incident, it won’t be surprising if the BCCI imposes further sanctions.