Riots ensue in rain out

Having already lost the series after four games, England were looking to salvage some pride from the only match of the series scheduled on a Sunday. However, due to conditions that were considered unplayable by the two on-field umpires, Rudi Koertzen and Arani Jayaprakash, not a single ball was bowled.

A heavy downpour that had occurred on Saturday afternoon bombarded the ground and, despite the best efforts of the groundstaff, the conditions remained treacherous.

Having taken three inspections at the conditions at various intervals, Koertzen and Jayaprakash left it up to the captains of each team, Virender Sehwag and Andrew Flintoff, to agree on whether play was to take play or not. Eventually, at 1:10pm local time, the match was called off.

However, just ten minutes prior to the eventual abandoning of play, the crowd, who had waited for a considerable time for play to start, began to get unruly. Bottles and other items were thrown onto the ground in frustration. In some sections of the ground, notices and newspapers were being set alight in great heaps.

Eventually the Indian Police had to be called in to control the predicament, but more bottles, both full and empty, were continually thrown almost as far as the infield from the stands.

With five one-day-internationals and not a single win, England will have to secure victory in the remaining two games in the series if they are to salvage any pride.