You can set your watch to it: just hours before the first ball is bowled in Mumbai, hosts India have been accused of shenanigans regarding the pitch on which they will play New Zealand in the Cricket World Cup semi-final.
The Daily Mail is reporting that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has intervened to choose a pitch for Tuesday night’s clash with the Black Caps, against the rules of the International Cricket Council (ICC), who have their own consultant in charge of pitches.
The pitch set to be used on Tuesday is now one that has already been used twice previously at the World Cup, which could provide an advantage to spinners, as opposed to a fresh, unused pitch that had been selected by the ICC.
The game was scheduled to be on pitch number 7, but now will be Pitch 6, which was the strip from England v South Africa and India’s previous game with Sri Lanka, according to a text message shared with 50 officials from both the BCCI and ICC.
The Mail reports that the ICC had been told that there is an ‘unspecified problem’ with Pitch 7, but that ICC overseer Andy Atkinson, disagrees.
Furthermore, it is reported that if India reach the final, to be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, then further changes could take place.
Though the opening match between England and New Zealand was played on the allotted pitch, Atkinson was not informed that three three other games at the cavernous arena were not played on the scheduled wickets.
The ICC plan is for Pitch 5 to be used for the final, a pitch that has been used just once so far, but that it might be Pitch 6 at Ahmedabad which is chosen.
Pitch 5 was that used for India’s win over Pakistan, a game that was supposed to have been played on Pitch 7 but wasn’t.
When the ICC questioned the mix-up, they were bounced between the BCCI, who are organising the tournament, and the Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA), who run the stadium. The GCA have alleged that they used pitches per the instructions of the BCCI, which in turn come from the Indian team themselves.
“As a result of these actions, one must speculate if this will be the first ever ICC CWC [Cricket World Cup] final to have a pitch which has been specifically chosen and prepared to their stipulation at the request of the team management and/or the hierarchy of the home nation board,” said an email from Atkinson seen by the Mail.
“Or will it be selected or prepared without favouritism for either of the sides competing in the match in the usual manner, and unquestionably because it is the usual pitch for the occasion?”
Richard POWELL
Roar Rookie
Yes. They can't help themselves. They're good enough to win fair and square but they have to cheat. It's in their DNA. It's really a badge of honour for them to win by cheating, whether it's the pitch, the officials or fudging the toss. They'll probably win on Sunday. Let's hope that what goes around, comes around,
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
No longer a groundsman? No good at it?
Blink
Roar Rookie
It does. Pathetic losers blame doctored pitches which Australia does as well as anyone. Since I was once a groundsman preparing these 'doctored' wickets I reckon its a complete furphy. But losers love excuses.
Sam
Roar Rookie
Even Iceland Cricket has a message https://twitter.com/icelandcricket/status/1725192151070380458
Mitcher
Roar Rookie
Fair to be called out. I was on a tear. Shall we carry on…?
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Try reading that aloud. See if it makes sense to you.
Blink
Roar Rookie
So are the feeble articles and comments about doctored pitches from drongos who like to pretend they (who-ever; do it) and we don't. These are international players who get around the traps. Only the weak looking for excuses blame the pitch
ThugbyFan
Roar Guru
Mind you, with their talented top 7 batsmen plundering pretty much anything that opponents serve up to them they just need some decent bowlers to win most matches. Having to face up to Ravi Jadeja et al and trying to score 7-8 an over for 50 overs has been too much for any side so far. As for this article, I thought the pitch was a road more than a spinner's paradise. Jedeja and Mitch Santner didn't get much help at all.
ThugbyFan
Roar Guru
The action that I thought was very very interesting occurred at the end of the match. Man of the Match winner, who got 7 wickets for almost unplayable swinging deliveries, Mohammed Shami ruffled his hair and kissed that hand almost as if he is saying "this hair cream/moisturiser works wonders for my bowling also. Buy it now at Woolworths Mumbai". Shami has got to be the Player of the Tournament; he is bowling beautiful line and length and getting the ball to swing all over the shop, even in the 35th over, while everyone else is struggling for any deviation after the 3-4th over.
Fruitpicker
Roar Rookie
Oh, please. What did you think England did at the previous ICC ODI World Cup? The curators there had had a ball with the prime real estate, someone suggesting at the time they had been treated to a sumptuous tea part oat the palatail Buckingham Palace grounds. Take a hard look and you'll find there's a trend for hosts of the event. While appointing "neutral umpires" and using the VAR has taken out a few controversies, the host nations tailoring thye pitches to suit their needs is a common practice. Not only that, the hosts pick and choose which nations will play at which venues. It's also no secret that a subcontinent side is offered a seam-friendly wicket, and, vice-versa. Like it or not, such tactics have always been regarded as host privileges. I recall when Australia/NZ co-hosted it a few years ago, nations considered to be a threat were made to jet from an Aussie venue to a Kiwi one and back. Having attended a press conference in Napier (NZ), I heard Pakistani journalists asking their player in Urdu (mother tongue) how they felt about such a serving. No points for guessing what their lament had been. For that reason, beating India on its soil was always going to be the daunting task for any rival. That also explains why England was bundled out pretty smartly, too. Welcome to the jungle.
Johnno
Roar Rookie
Yes we can so the Indian pace bowlers are still effective on a worn prepared pitch.
jammel
Roar Rookie
I wonder what the pitch for the WC Final will look like? Could be very very flat, or very very very spin-friendly....
Panthers
Roar Rookie
There are No groundsman here watering the pitch in particular spots before a test , to badly affect ‘say Left Handed Batsmen’. When the tourists have lots of left handers & the home side doesn’t. That’s reserved specifically for India & their groundsman.
Panthers
Roar Rookie
India had been doctoring home pitches forever, producing ‘Dust Bowl’ pitches to suit the home side for most international fixtures. Then who could forget the pitch ‘watering’ footage on a length to affect left handed batsmen? ( Taken of groundsman in India specifically watering a section of the pitch before the start of a test , when India was playing Australia at home ) . As if they needed to do this at home? . India didn’t have any top order left handed batsman & Australia had many. Plus India had good pace bowlers to take advantage of that tactic. So I guess they just continued with their cheating tactics here. No need to change things up now.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
And over in the Non-Fiction section we have a great selection .......
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Well, it's an overseas breed, so, you know....
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
Strange list of comparisons. The first one is cheating, the second one once permitted but no more, and the third a perfectly legitimate and fair form of dismissal.
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
Until such videos are taken down by BCCI copyright claims.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Huh? They’re not supposed to be in charge of pitch conditions.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
The ICC “overseer” needs a bigger whip! By the looks of it, India didn’t need a worn or spin-friendly pitch. As with previous games at Wankhede, it’s been easy batting first and a lot of movement with new ball under lights, though Shami and Bumrah are in special form.