Wellington, February 28:

New Zealand is to boost ground security for the remainder of the Indian cricket tour following a bottle-throwing incident at the second Twenty20 match, an official said today.

Play was briefly halted towards the end of the New Zealand innings here on Friday after a plastic bottle was thrown from the crowd and landed near an Indian fielder. New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan said the Indian team and match referee Ranjan Madugalle had expressed concern about the incident.

Measures will include more security staff, higher security visibility in potential problem areas, and closer monitoring of the crowd. Staff will also be instructed to take extra precautions to shield boundary fielders, and to take prompt action against offenders. “This type of incident is unfortunate, especially in such an exciting and close game as we saw last night,” said Vaughan.