India are certainly making their home ground advantage count, with the ICC confirming the Wankhede Stadium pitch was changed, reportedly after team management had a request granted by BCCI curators.
The Indian Express reported Indian officials asked BCCI curators to shave off most of the grass on the playing surface, deciding on their preference after the win over the Netherlands in Bengaluru.
A Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) official reportedly confirmed to the newspaper a message was conveyed to prepare a slow track before the home team reached Mumbai.
Watch every match of The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Live with no ad breaks in play on Kayo Sports. Join Kayo now and start streaming instantly >
“It won’t be a turner but the team had asked for a slow pitch. It was the main reason we shaved off the grass,” a source told the newspaper.
India have proved hard to beat on slow wickets at home in recent years, and chasing has proved difficult at the Wankhede during the tournament, with Glenn Maxwell’s heroic 200-run knock delivering the only successful pursuit in four games held there.
There was also a rotation from the expected fresh pitch No.7 back to the used pitch No.6, which NZ captain Kane Williamson confirmed at the toss.
The governing body released a statement, suggesting changes were not uncommon.
“Changes to planned pitch rotations are common towards the end of an event of this length, and has already happened a couple of times,” it read.
“This change was made on the recommendation of the venue curator in conjunction with our host.
“The ICC independent pitch consultant was apprised of the change and has no reason to believe the pitch won’t play well.”
Meanwhile an email from ICC pitch consultant Andy Atkinson complained the pitch for the final may be a slower one, previously used twice, instead of the one intended.
The tournament’s opening game in Ahmedabad took place on the pre-agreed pitch No. 6 but none of the next three matches conformed to the schedule.
He was then told by the ICC’s senior events manager at the stadium the India v Pakistan game on October 14 took place on pitch No. 7, when it actually took place on pitch No.5.
Atkinson warned in an email: “As a result of these actions, one must speculate if this will be the first ever ICC CWC 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.
“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?”
The BCCI said the Gujarat Cricket Association authorised the changes while the GCA claimed they were acting under instructions from the BCCI, with the requests coming from Indian team management, claimed the Daily Mail.
“I can’t believe that. No, I shouldn’t say that … I can believe this absolutely, that this is happening,” SEN radio host Gerard Whateley said.
“I think it’s outrageous. This is an international tournament.
“Prepare the pitches however you like for your home series, every nation has the choice to do that if they want to.
“But this is an international tournament, it hasn’t quite felt that way.
“It’s felt like a tournament in India for India and for India to win.
“This is evidently going on.”
“It’s one thing when you’re the host nation of your own Test series for the team to influence the preparation for the pitch.
“It just shouldn’t be happening at an international tournament.
“It is just so brazened as to be breathtaking and confirms everything that we know about pitch preparation in India. No matter how much denial there is of it.”
Discussion about this post