Hoardings hanging on Ekana Stadium roof fall due to strong winds

Lucknow: Strong winds caused several banners to fall from the roof of the Ekana Stadium on to the seats below during the World Cup match between Australia and Sri Lanka here on Monday.

After rain stopped play for a bit, there was a dust storm and heavy winds led to several iron angles with branding material from the roof falling on people sitting at the lower levels.

The situation could have turned worse, but luckily, the stands were relatively empty. It did, however, cause panic among those who were watching the game as the public announcement asked spectators to move to safety of the upper decks.

Asked about the incident after the match, Australia leg-spinner Adam Zampa, one of the star performers of the game with figures of 4/47, said, "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 time the second innings began the security had moved all spectators to the upper levels.

The stadium hosted its maiden World Cup game -- Australia versus South Africa -- last week.

The marquee India versus England match is scheduled to be played at the Ekana Stadium on October 29.