Upset with India’s dismal batting performance in the second Twenty20 International against South Africa, fans hurled water bottles onto the ground at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Monday night, disrupting play several times.
In a repeat of 1996 World Cup semifinal at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, crowd trouble began in stands 3 and 4 and soon spread to other stands as South Africa were chasing a modest target of 93 and were almost certain to win the match. The crowd repeatedly threw projectiles, water bottles on to the ground. South Africa won the match by six wickets, registering an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Disruptions were somehow eased after announcements on public address system that the venue could be banned from hosting international matches if spectators did not behave. Play eventually resumed after security forces evicted unruly crowd from the stands from where projectiles were being thrown.
Crowd behaviour turned ugly once India started losing wickets rapidly. Not finding any reason to cheer for their team, the restless spectators even started cheering loudly for extras, as the boundaries dried up. It then began throwing water bottles on to field during the innings break.
