Lucknow: Strong winds led to several hoardings falling from the roof of the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on to the seats below during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 match between Australia and Sri Lanka on Monday (October 16). The incident occurred following a brief interruption in play due to rain. Subsequently, a dust storm, accompanied by heavy winds, caused multiple iron angles carrying branding material to dislodge from the stadium’s roof, resulting in them falling into the lower-level seating areas.

Fortunately, the situation did not escalate, as the stands were relatively empty at the time. However, it did create a sense of panic among those present at the venue during the match. Spectators were promptly instructed through public announcements to relocate to the safety of the upper decks.

After the match, Australia’s leg-spinner, Adam Zampa, who delivered a remarkable performance with figures of 4/47, expressed his astonishment, saying, “Never been a part of that, never seen something like that. But there was no one hurt hopefully. There was a metal pole coming down; I’ve never seen anything like that.”

By the commencement of the second innings, security personnel had successfully moved all spectators to the upper levels to ensure their safety.

Scary scenes at Ekana Stadium, Lucknow.

Hoardings are falling and fans running for cover. #AUSvSL #AUSvsSL
🎥/Atnomani pic.twitter.com/7kwVsSbMn0

— Ishan Joshi (@ishanjoshii) October 16, 2023

It is worth noting that Ekana Stadium recently hosted its inaugural World Cup match, a contest between Australia and South Africa. The stadium is set to host a highly-anticipated fixture, the India versus England match, scheduled for October 29.

Talking about the Australia-Sri Lanka match, Sri Lanka batted first and posted 209 in 43.3 overs, a total which was chased down by Australia in 35.2 overs with 5 wickets in hand.  This was Australia’s maiden win in the 2023 edition of the World Cup following losses to India and South Africa in their first two matches.

(WIth Inputs From PTI)