No practice for Sri Lanka ahead of first Test

Sri Lanka's practice match against Board President's XI was on Friday called off without a ball being bowled due to unsuitable ground conditions.

Two days of play had already been lost after unrelenting rains lashed the city since Wednesday, and the visitors were not willing to take the field on the third and final day as some parts of the ground were still damp.

"Play has been called off for the day as the outfield is soft and the visitors are unwilling to play on the surface fearing injuries," an official said.

Sri Lankan team manager Brendon Kuruppu had on Thursday expressed reservations on continuing the match as they did not want to be in the one-day mode.

This is Sri Lanka's only practice match before the three-match Test series against India, starting November 16 in Ahmedabad.

Kanpur and Mumbai will host the second (November 24-28) and third (December 2-6) Tests respectively.