ICC slaps India: Pune pitch ‘poor’
World body rates Pune pitch ‘poor’, gives BCCI 14 days to respond. The first Test ended inside three days in Australia’s favour.
MUMBAI: More shame has come the Indian cricket board’s way after the Internataional Cricket Council (ICC) rated the pitch for the Pune Test between India and Australia as ‘poor’. India had lost the Test to Australia by 333 runs within three days.
ICC match referee Chris Broad, according to an ICC media release, has reported the pitch and has sought a response from the BCCI within two weeks.
“The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced that Chris Broad of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees, who was the match referee for the first Test between India and Australia in Pune, has rated the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium pitch as “poor”,” the media release said.
“Broad, in accordance with Clause 3 of the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process, submitted his report to the ICC in which he expressed concern over the quality of the pitch.
“The report has been forwarded to the Board of Control for Cricket in India, which now has 14 days to provide its response.”
The BCCI’s response will be reviewed by ICC general manager (cricket) Geoff Allardice, and Ranjan Madugalle from the Elite Panel of ICC match referees. “The matter will be decided in accordance with Clause 4 of the process,” the release said.
This isn’t the first time an Indian pitch has been rated poor by the ICC. In 2015, the pitch in Nagpur received a similar rating from match referee Jeff Crow after India defeated South Africa in the third Test by 124 runs. In 2009, an ODI between India and Sri Lanka in Delhi had to be abandoned after match officials deemed it too dangerous for players. Before that, the Kanpur pitch had come under the scanner in 2008. India beat South Africa by eight wickets within three days, prompting the ICC to rate it poor and officially warn the BCCI.
It has often been alleged by visiting teams that the BCCI takes it too far when it comes to preparing turners. Officials in Pune pitch have alleged that senior members of the Indian team management had interfered and that the preparation had been ‘hijacked’ days before the match began.