Committee to probe lapses at the Eden Gardens

With the city left red-faced after a power snag and a poor strip took the fizz out from Sunday's Indian Premier League match here, the West Bengal government on Monday formed a three-member committee to probe the lapses while an annoyed Board of Contron for Cricket in India (BCCI) rushed its pitch committee head to rectify the errors in the 22 yards.

Accusations of mismanagement flew thick and fast as BCCI bosses expressed 'serious concern' over the pitch fiasco and a senior state minister held the Cricket Association of Bengal responsible for the mismanagement, 'which has sullied the reputation of Kolkata'.

West Bengal sports minister Subhas Chakraborty said that the three-member committee would look into the 31-minute power disruption, the non-functional scoreboard and the poor state of toilets at the ground during the game between Kolkata Knight Riders and Deccan Chargers. The committee would submit its report to the West Bengal government before April 29, the date of the next match and suggest measures to Cricket Association of Bengal to prevent such faux pas.

"Nobody wants the image of Kolkata to be sullied, but this has happened because of the mismanagement by the organisers in the Eden Gardens," the Minister said. He regretted that though the sports department was the custodian of sports infrastructure in the Maidan - the sporting hub around the Eden - there was little coordination on part of the CAB though four letters had been sent to it.

Eden Gardens curator Kalyan Mitra also went to the dressing room of the Kolkata Knight Riders to apologise to the players, whiles there was a move to fly in a pitch consultant from Australia to improve the state of the wicket. (PTI)

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