➤ Root calls for sanctions over substandard wickets for Tests ➤ Former captain Vaughan says batting became a ‘lottery’
Joe Root called for countries who produce substandard pitches to face sanctions after India completed the fastest Test victory by any side since 1935 on an extraordinary second day in Ahmedabad.
Seventeen wickets fell in just over five chaotic hours of the third Test, with England being bowled out in a session for 81 – the fifth time they have been dismissed for under 100 since the start of 2018. In total, England lasted 476 balls across two innings – the fifth-fewest in their Test history.
But criticism centred on the Narendra Modi Stadium pitch, which had delivered significant turn and bounce from the early stages. Former England captain Michael Vaughan branded it “awful” and a “complete lottery”, while one of his successors, Sir Alastair Cook, said it was “nigh-on impossible” to bat on.
Thirty wickets fell for just 387 runs in the match, as the first game at the 110,000-capacity stadium in Ahmedabad ended in just 140.2 overs – the seventh-shortest in history. It was the first time a Test had finished within two days since 2000. Root, who took a Test-best five for eight with his part-time offbreaks, said that the wicket had not allowed fans to witness the best skills of the teams.
“I almost feel like they’ve been robbed,” he said. “Instead, they had to watch me get wickets on there, which shouldn’t be the case.” Under International Cricket Council rules, a ground can receive demerit points – potentially leading to a set ban on hosting internationals – but teams cannot be docked points in the World Test Championship.
Root said that the nature of sanctions for pitches was a matter for the ICC to consider in the future. “It’s something that I’m sure they’ll look at off the back of the last couple of matches,” Root said. “I’m sure they’ve looked at other wickets around the world at different times, and maybe had to answer similar questions. There’s always going to be slight home advantage, but it is a shame when you have got so many fantastic players that can’t have an input into a Test match.”
Root declined to comment on whether there should be sanctions against Ahmedabad specifically. “Every now and then you expect to deal with a surface that is quite challenging,” he said. “Whether it’s fit
for purpose, that’s more a question for the ICC. The decision is there for the ICC to make, but as players you want to compete against the best in whatever conditions they are. But, there’s got to be a contest there.”
Root said that the pink ball played a major role in the bowlers’ success in the Test, highlighting the hardness of the seam, but insisted that England did not intend to prepare wickets offering pronounced assistance for seamers when India visit for a five-match Test series next summer. “If we are going to develop as a team and compete everywhere in the world, we are going to have to get used to scoring big runs consistently, we are going to have to get used to bowling on good surfaces.”
Root admitted that England had erred in selecting only one spinner and a four-man seam attack.
India captain Virat Kohli blamed “a lack of application from both sides” for the two-day match rather than the wicket. “It was a very good pitch to bat on, especially first up. The ball was coming on nicely.”
Chris Woakes will now fly home, as agreed, and Dom Bess is likely to be recalled for the fourth Test. Stuart Broad, who has conceded 78 runs without a wicket in two Tests in India, is likely to drop out.
Europa League matches unbeaten at home for Manchester United since a 3-2 defeat to Athletic Bilbao in March 2012
Eric Dier has dismissed Jose Mourinho’s claim that he has suffered a crisis of confidence and insisted he could cope with the tough love dished out by Tottenham Hotspur’s head coach.
The central defender was recently dropped for games against Brighton and West Bromwich Albion, following errors in the defeats by Liverpool and Chelsea during a run of five losses in six Premier League games.
Mourinho has repeatedly blamed individual errors during Tottenham’s slump and Dier, along with the rest of the team, has received criticism from fans and pundits.
When asked about Dier’s form this month, Mourinho, possibly intending to be diplomatic, blamed it on a decline in his confidence and stressed his belief that the 27-yearold would return to his best.
But Dier insisted that a lack of confidence had not been an issue, saying: “Confidence-wise, I don’t feel like I’ve been in a bad place all season. I’ve gone through periods where I’ve had low confidence in the past, so I know what it feels like and I haven’t felt that this season.
“We’ve gone through a difficult moment, but it’s important to keep things in context and, generally, people’s perception versus reality can be different sometimes.
“I feel like I’ve been happy with my level for the majority of the season. There’s been obviously a dip in it, which correlates with the dip with the team in general, and our performances. I don’t think my confidence has ever been in a negative place where it’s been in previous times. That’s all.”
Mourinho’s man-management has once again come under the microscope, with questions being asked over his treatment of Dele Alli and on-loan Gareth Bale, while Harry Winks has also found life difficult under the Portuguese.
Despite being dropped after two poor performances, before winning his place back, Dier insisted that he could cope with criticism. “I’m a big boy, this is a ruthless profession and I focus on trying to do the best that I can every time I get an opportunity,” he said.
Premier League clubs will consider moving the penultimate round of matches to the following midweek to ease integrity concerns over fans returning only for the final weekend.
Most of the games on match-day 37 of 38 are scheduled for May 15 – two days prior to the scheduled reopening of grounds for up to 10,000.
One club’s idea, which would need the permission of broadcasters, is to move the previous weekend’s fixtures to a date in which those games could also have fans.
The Premier League is consulting clubs to establish any general concerns over the Government’s plan.
Clubs will be asked to vote on whether to have fans back to remove any suggestion the final day’s competition has been compromised.
Senior league sources said last night it was too early to say whether executives would consider moving match-day 37.
The roadmap announced on Monday allows for the prospect of crowd numbers being scaled up beyond 10,000 by the time England play Czech Republic in their final Euro 2020 group match on June 22.
Whitehall sources and health experts played down the likelihood of 90,000 being inside Wembley, but Lancashire announced they were hoping to have a full Old Trafford for the Twenty20 Blast match against Worcestershire on July 1.