Cricket World Cup semi-final: India accused of changing the pitch before the match, The first semi-final of the Cricket World Cup 2023 is being played today in Mumbai between India and New Zealand, but before this match, India has been accused of playing on a used pitch.
India has faced criticism for favoring pitch conditions during the Cricket World Cup.
The semi-final was originally scheduled to be played on pitch number seven, which is the main strip of the Wankhede Stadium pitch block. Pitch seven is a fresh surface that was not used in the league stage of the World Cup.
According to sources, a last-minute decision was made to move the game to pitch six, which is slightly off-centre and has already been used in two matches in the tournament.
According to the ICC playing conditions for the World Cup, the relevant ‘ground authority’ is ‘responsible for pitch selection and preparation’ before any match, which in this case is the Mumbai Cricket Association.
The ICC also has an impartial pitch consultant, Andy Atkinson, who works with the local ground staff.
British newspaper Daily Mail reports that Atkinson appears frustrated with changes to plans throughout the World Cup.
In an email published by the Daily Mail, he also expressed concern over the pitch for Sunday’s final in Ahmedabad.
On the other hand, it is not necessary from the side of ICC that the knockout matches should be played on fresh pitch.
World Cup played in 2019
Previously, the semi-finals of the ODI World Cup played in 2019 were played on fresh pitches at Manchester’s Old Trafford and Birmingham’s Edgbaston Stadium, while last year’s T20 World Cup semi-finals were played on pitches used at Adelaide Oval and Sydney Cricket Ground were played on.
In an email sent by an ICC representative to the concerned World Cup administration, it was stated that the first match of the event played between New Zealand and England at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad was played on a fixed pitch while The pitches for the remaining three matches at the stadium were changed without any notice.
It should be noted here that the pitch of the match between Pakistan and India played in Ahmedabad on October 14 was also changed. This match was to be played on pitch number seven which was kept on pitch number five.
