Odisha Cricket Association Bans Water Bottles at Barabati Stadium For Future Matches
Odisha Cricket Association secretary Ashirwad Behera said the spectators present during India-South Africa T20I at the Barabati Stadium were allowed to use water bottles on humanitarian grounds.
After BCCI asked the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) for a report on the unruly behaviour of the crowd at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack during the India-South Africa T20 match, OCA secretary Ashirwad Behera on Wednesday said water bottles would not be allowed inside the stadium henceforth. (BCCI Wants Report On Cuttack Crowd Violence in 48 Hours)
"We would inform the BCCI that such incidents would not be repeated in future. Water bottles would not be allowed inside the stadium and we would follow the guidelines of ICC," said Behera. (Sunil Gavaskar Blasts Odisha Police for Crowd Violence)
He said the cricket association would submit the report to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Wednesday and hoped the parent governing body would express satisfaction over the reply. (Sunil Gavaskar Not the Authority to Decide on Cricket Venues: Behera)
Defending the selling of water bottles inside the stadium, the OCA secretary said the spectators were allowed to use water bottles on humanitarian grounds as they had to sit for four-five hours in the galleries.
He also hoped the BCCI would not ban the Barabati stadium from hosting international matches.
Earlier on Wednesday, BCCI president Shashank Manohar had asked the secretary of OCA to submit a report on the unruly behaviour of the crowd within two days.
During the second innings of the match on Monday, the spectators at the Barabati stadium disrupted the game by hurling plastic water bottles onto the field forcing play to be stopped for several minutes.
Manohar has asked OCA to explain why the spectators were allowed to carry the bottles inside the stadium, which is against the International Cricket Council's (ICC) guidelines.