Cuttack: It was a facepalm moment for cricket fans across Odisha as a malfunction in one of the floodlight towers at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack disrupted the India vs England ODI cricket match on Sunday, bringing the game to a halt for around 30 minutes.

The incident occurred while India were chasing a target of 305 set by England, with openers Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill at the crease. The incident led to an unscheduled break, causing inconvenience to players and spectators alike.

Explaining the cause of the fiasco, Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) secretary Sanjay Behera said, "Each floodlight tower had two generators as backup. During the match, one of the generators for the affected floodlight tower malfunctioned. When we attempted to switch to the second generator, we found that a vehicle used for transporting players was parked between the tower and the generator. We had to contact the driver and get him to move the vehicle before we could restore the power supply."

The Odisha government has taken serious note of the incident and ordered an investigation into the floodlight failure. Sports Minister Suryabanshi Suraj said that the government has sought an explanation from the OCA regarding the incident.

The floodlight failure has raised concerns over the preparedness and management of high-profile matches at the venue.