MS Dhoni files complaint with the BCCI over the technical failure in Florida last week
Indian limited-overs skipper MS Dhoni has lodged a complaint with the Board of Control for Cricket in India(BCCI) over the technical failures that occurred during the second T20I between India and West Indies at Florida last Sunday, which delayed the start of proceedings by almost one hour.
The second T20I couldn’t start on time since the production house- Sunset and Vine- that was in charge of providing the feed to the broadcaster Star Sports, could not uplink the signals, causing a delay of 50 minutes to the start of the game.
A high-profile source from the board said that the 35-year-old felt that based on the rules and regulations of the International Cricket Council, the match should have begun on time and there was no need to wait for the satellite signals.
“Dhoni's argument - based on ICC match guidelines - was that the match should start and not wait for the satellite signals. But the production house and, in turn, the host broadcaster, had a contrarian point of view.
"Dhoni's argument was simple. He wanted to know if it was within the rules to delay the match because of a satellite failure. He wanted to know what happens to those who are in the ground, and had bought expensive tickets for the match,” the source said.
The guidelines of the governing body state that a delay in proceedings can happen in only three cases- poor weather, bad light or poor playing conditions. The broadcaster Star Sports, it is learnt, has asked the ICC for a reasoning on the delay in satellite uplinking.
The ICC have said at the meeting in Dubai next month, they will discuss this issue, among the other things that will be on the table.
"The officials will be discussing a wide range of topics, including the second T20I in Florida," the press note of the ICC said.
The game itself turned out to be a damp squib, as rain halted proceedings with India having put up 15 runs in 2 overs in their pursuit of West Indies’s 144. The downpour proved too much in the end and the match had to be called off, with the men from the Caribbean islands, taking the series 1-0.