New Delhi: Play was suspended in the fifth and final ODI between India and Sri Lanka after the pitch at the Ferozeshah Kotla was deemed dangerous.

Right from the start, occasional deliveries alarmingly reared up and one such hit Tillakaratne Dilshan on his forearm, leaving him in pain and needing on-field treatment.

But play continued till the 24th over when a Sudeep Tyagi delivery kicked off the pitch and wicketkeeper MS Dhoni struggled to collect it.

Sri Lankan batsman Thilan Kandamby first had a word with Dhoni before he approached the umpires. Umpires Marais Erasmus and Shavir Tarapore soon conferred and Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara was seen gesturing to his teammates from the dressing room.

Subsequently, Match Referee Alan Hurst also walked in and they were joined by Kotla curator Vijay Bahadur Mishra and BCCI Pitch and Grounds Committee chairman Daljit Singh.

Sangakkara also joined them, along with India coach Gary Kirsten and his Sri Lanka counterpart Trevor Bayliss also walked out.

Delhi and District Cricket Association officials, including vice president Chetan Chauhan, offered another pitch to Hurst but a final decision was yet to be taken.

A suspension of the venue's international status for a period of between 12 and 24 months together with a directive for appropriate remedial action and the need for prior ICC re-accreditation as an international