Heat and crowd play on English mind

Jamshedpur, Apr 11 (UNI) Intense heat and crowd behaviour will be playing on the mind of the English team ahead of the sixth one-dayer here tomorrow.

The visitors today experienced unbearable humidity and just two days back witnessed fans rioting in Guwahati.

The mercury was touching 44 degrees Celsius here on the eve of tomorrow's match. India lead 4-0 in the seven-match series after Sunday's fifth one-dayer was abandoned without a ball being bowled.

Travelling around the country for the one-dayers, the team has experienced humidity that went up to 90 per cent in Kochi and seen fans vent their frustration on Sunday fighting a pitched battle with the police and playing with fire.

The fifth ODI in Guwahati was called off due to slushy outfield caused by persistent week-long showers and it provoked the fans to raise hell in Nehru Stadium.

Guwahati's status as an international venue is under the spotlight as the ICC plans to whet a report of match referee Roshan Mahanama.

The focus remains on crowd behaviour as the cricket bandwagon moves to Keenan Stadium here, which too has a history of crowd violence. Four years ago, irate fans held up play hurling missiles onto the field.

The match resumed only after police cordoned off the ground and the West Indies went on to clinch a last-ball victory.

The organisers have now bolstered the security arrangement.

Today security staff frisked every person entering the stadium, where the two teams had a pre-match practice. Tomorrow they promise to make the security tighter.

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