Waterlogged Cumilla pitch, Fed Cup match delayed

Heavy rain has forced delayed start to the Federation Cup match between Rahmatganj MFS and Youngmen’s Fakirerpool Club as a large section of the pitch at the Shaheed Dhirendranath Datta Stadium in Cumilla was left waterlogged.

The match, originally scheduled for a 2:45 pm start, was eventually started at 3:50 pm after ground staff managed to drain out some of the water in a primitive way. Pictures and videos of the waterlogged pitch and draining of the water spread across social media in no time.

Weather disruptions are not new to the competition. Last season’s Federation Cup final between Bashundhara Kings and Abahani was also affected by a storm. Play was halted during the second half, and although it resumed after conditions improved, extra time could not be completed due to poor visibility. The remaining portion of the match was eventually played a week later following a decision by the league committee.

Deep convective cloud formation over northern Bangladesh has triggered widespread rainfall in the country over the past 36 hours, with authorities warning of heavy downpours, strong winds and a potential flood situation in parts of the northeast.

However, the other Federation Cup match of the day -- between Abahani and PWD at the Bashundhara Kings Arena -- started on time, thanks to better drainage system.