Match referee Chris Broad asked to leave field by Lankan cops

The International Cricket Council is at loggerheads with Sri Lankan authorities over "security arrangements" that almost saw ICC match referee Chris Broad thrown out of a warm-up match.

Broad was ordered out of the field by police and security who had no clue about Tuesday's warm-up game between Sri Lanka and West Indies.

Even several other ICC officials were not allowed access to the R.Premadasa stadium by over zealous security staff who also prevented groundsman from doing their work.

The ICC said renovations at the stadium meant new access arrangements had to be made and it appeared that the security staff had no idea on how to handle the situation.

"We need to ensure that, in future, those arrangements are worked through thoroughly and also communicated to the relevant stakeholders," the ICC said in a statement.

"We will seek to do that in time for the next match at the R.Premadasa Stadium on February 26.

"Sri Lankan media lashed out at the local authorities for messing up arrangements at the warm-up match. Some security staff also prevented press photographers taking pictures of players.

"We did not have this type of stringent security even during the wars between government forces and LTTE," a local sports journalist said.