NEW DELHI: India’s cricket chiefs on Monday changed the venue of the second one-day international against Sri Lanka due to political tension in the coastal city of Visakhapatnam.
The match will now take place on Friday in Nagpur, which had hosted a Twenty20 international between India and Sri Lanka last week.
Visakhapatnam, in the southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh, has been gripped by demonstrations over the federal government’s decision to create a separate state of Telangana.
The match on Friday at the Vidarbha Cricket Association ground in Nagpur will be a day-night game, the Indian cricket board said in a statement.
Sri Lanka begin a five-match one-day series against India on Tuesday in the western city of Rajkot.
The remaining matches will be played in Nagpur (Dec. 18), Cuttack (Dec. 21), Kolkata (Dec. 24) and New Delhi (Dec. 27).
Sri Lanka lost the preceding Test series 2-0 and both teams won a Twenty20 match each.
England bowlers turn down offer
Meanwhile, England fast bowlers Stuart Broad and James Anderson will not play in next year’s Indian Premier League, British media revealed on Monday.
The seamers were in line for exciting opportunities in the cash-laden climes of the IPL but will instead turn their full attention to their international careers.
Andrew Flintoff injured his knee while playing in the IPL last year while Kevin Pietersen had to deny claims he aggravated an Achilles injury while training with Bangalore Royal Challengers.
BBC radio quoted Broad, who also turned down an India stint last year, as saying that his “number one priority” was to represent his country.
Sri Lanka fined
In another development, Sri Lanka have been fined for a slow over rate in Saturday’s six-wicket Twenty20 defeat against India in Mohali, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said.
Match referee Jeff Crowe docked skipper Kumar Sangakkara 40 percent of his match fee and the rest of the players 20 percent each after the team fell two overs short in the stipulated time.
The two-game series was drawn 1-1.
