A groundsman at the Ekana International Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, India has reportedly been fired after the home side snatched a six-wicket T20 victory over New Zealand.
The pitch curator’s sacking follows claims that India requested the pitch be changed at the 11th hour.
During the low-scoring encounter, New Zealand batted first – posting a short total of 99. India then chased it down with plenty of wickets to spare.
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But with the pitch worsening as play went on, it produced even slower conditions.
Speaking post-match, India captain Hardik Pandya labelled the pitch “a shocker”.
“I don’t mind difficult wickets – I’m all up for that,” he said.
“But these two wickets are not made for T20. Somewhere down the line, the curators or the grounds that we are going to play in should make sure they prepare the pitches earlier.”
According to the Indian Express, of the eight pitches in the stadium, the curator prepared two black-soil tracks for more elasticity.
However, the Indian team’s management called for a fresh pitch made of red soil three days before the second match.
India’s bowling coach Paras Mhambrey said the curator needed to explain the unusual pitch conditions, which forced 30 of the 40 overs to be bowled by spinners.
“There was a little grass covering on the middle but there was none on both ends,” he said.
New Zealand all-rounder Jimmy Neesham agreed that the pitch was second-rate but said the “silver lining” of it was that it created “a low-scoring thriller” as India posted 4-101 to win.
Kiwi spinner Michael Bracewell defended the pitch, claiming it was “cool to play on a different wicket”.
“A variety of wickets around the world is a positive thing … it’s exciting to try and figure out a way to play on these wickets,” he said.
“If you play on a wicket that is flat all the time you don’t get a true test of your skill.”
The three-match series is now tied with one win apiece after the Black Caps triumphed in the opening game in Ranchi by 21 runs.
The decider will be played at Sardar Patel Stadium on Thursday.
It appears the conditions in India have caught the eye of the Australian Test squad as it prepared for its upcoming tour of the country next month with a two-day “spin camp” in Sydney.
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