Used pitch row over England vs India women’s Test in Bristol

CHANDIGARH: It won’t happen in men’s Test cricket, and definitely has not happened in the modern era. A controversy has risen ahead of India women’s one-off Test against England starting at Bristol on Wednesday over a used pitch being provided. The four-day Test will be played on a pitch where a county T20 game was played last week.

England women’s captain Heather Knight criticised the pitch. “It was used for a Gloucestershire T20 match last week, which I guess obviously is not ideal. We would much prefer it to be a fresh one but it is what it is and we do not know how it is going to play,” she said at a media conference.

The England camp is worried it could prove a sluggish pitch, which she felt could play into the hands of India’s spin-dominated attack featuring Poonam Yadav, Ekta Bisht, Deepti Sharma, Radha Yadav and Sneh Rana.

India skipper Mithali Raj said: “We are here to play a match. Whatever strip we get we will try and get a result out of it. Whether it is a used wicket or a fresh wicket, as players and as captain I’m there to support my team to follow our strategies accordingly.”