New Delhi, Dec 28 : The Ferozeshah Kotla fiasco could have been averted had the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) acted in time after the International Cricket Council (ICC) said in November it was unhappy with the condition of the pitch.

The ICC inspection, which was for the 2011 World Cup, took place Nov 4, three days after an India-Australia ODI during which the pitch was criticised for its slow nature. The track also drew lot of flak during the Champions League Twenty20 matches as players complained that it was not conducive for stroke-making. The pitch was relaid at the start of the season.

The ICC report had taken serious note of the pitch, saying: "There is an ODI at this venue on 27th December 2009 and considerable improvement of the pitch block will be required by then to make the pitch provided more acceptable."

"During the Champions League and the India vs Australia ODI series, it was well documented that the performance and condition of the pitches at the stadium were a cause of concern for the players," the report said.

ICC also had its reservations about DDCA's move of planting winter grass on the track.

"To simply replant without major renovation of the surface would be a major miscalculation and would result in inadequate pitches at a later date.

"The dead and the decaying grass and roots left in the soil profile will break down into organic matter and will contribute to the dilution of the clay content of the soil and contribute to the pitches produced in the future being slow in pace, spongy in texture, and would tend to generate slow and inconsistent bounce from the pitches in the future," the report said.

Meanwhile, Kotla will not host any game in the proposed two-match Test series against South Africa in February, 2010.(IANS)