HCA joint secretary Naresh Sharma breaks a coconut before the start of the first match at Gymkhana on Thursday.
Hyderabad: After two days of uncertainty, the three-day A-1 Division cricket league of the new season started on a damp note as rain and heavy outfield played spoilsport on Thursday. No play was possible in five of the grounds out of the six scheduled first round matches.
There was much confusion because of the infighting in Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) but with John Manoj group back in the power, they meant business and the new season got off to one-day delayed start.
“It was a good sight to see the cricketers back in action,’’ said Manoj, interim president of the association.
One of the significant decisions for the new season has been the introduction of reserve fourth day. According to secretary R Vijayanand, if the first three days are washed out, the two affected teams will play a one-day match on the fourth day with one-day rules. He also announced there will be on-line live scores for all the three-day league matches.
Manoj said this 50-over match format on the reserve day is an experiment. It will help the cricketers for some sort of practice,’’ said Manoj.
Brief scores: Sportive CC 248/8 in 63 overs (Sandy Goud 71, M A Shanmukha 83, TS Rakshith 4/36) vs Sri Chakra