[Report] BCCI accused of switching pitches in ICC World Cup 2023

[par]

The pitch might have turned out just fine. But still BCCI should've avoided the last minute switch.

Its another blot on BCCI's already not so good reputation.

 

[Aman]

The pitch might have turned out just fine. But still BCCI should've avoided the last minute switch.

Its another blot on BCCI's already not so good reputation.

Not BCCI, it was the Indian cricket team that made the request and asked the groundsman to cut off the grass.

 

[par]

Meh all it means is if India play Aus/Eng in a big WC match they might prepare pitches which benefit them.

India have opened a can of worms where the host nation can pick and choose what surfaces they play on.

ICC should add in the rules disallowing it in the future.

 

[Aman]

ICC should add in the rules disallowing it in the future.

Hopefully, otherwise the host nation has an unfair advantage and will abuse it throughout the tournament.

These tournaments should be played with the ICC overseeing it all. Host boards/teams should have no input into what is used as there is a massive conflict of interest.

 

[160KPH]

Meh all it means is if India play Aus/Eng in a big WC match they might prepare pitches which benefit them.

India have opened a can of worms where the host nation can pick and choose what surfaces they play on.

I think that is what the ultimate outcome will be, but I don’t think it’s a good direction for the sport. Homes side already have such an extreme advantage at home in ODI WC’s as evidenced by the last 4 out of 5 ODI WC’s being won by the home team.

 

[AMSS]

Hopefully, otherwise the host nation has an unfair advantage and will abuse it throughout the tournament.

Host nations should have an advantage. Like ENG did in last WC where they curated pitches to ensure subcontinental sides were totally handicapped by making spin irrelevant.

 

[JaDed]

I think that is what the ultimate outcome will be, but I don’t think it’s a good direction for the sport. Homes side already have such an extreme advantage at home in ODI WC’s as evidenced by the last 4 out of 5 ODI WC’s being won by the home team.

Like England where spin was neutered?

 

[Aman]

I think that is what the ultimate outcome will be, but I don’t think it’s a good direction for the sport. Homes side already have such an extreme advantage at home in ODI WC’s as evidenced by the last 4 out of 5 ODI WC’s being won by the home team.

Exactly, it's messed up and it's up to the ICC to grow a spine or we're going to continue with the trend of host nations winning home WCs.

 

[JaDed]

Meh all it means is if India play Aus/Eng in a big WC match they might prepare pitches which benefit them.

India have opened a can of worms where the host nation can pick and choose what surfaces they play on.

You got to be kidding if you think England in 2019 didn’t do it.. but they did it as part of entire wc and not jus their gamesz

 

[Aman]

Host nations should have an advantage. Like ENG did in last WC where they curated pitches to ensure subcontinental sides were totally handicapped by making spin irrelevant.

There advantage is being familiar with grounds and home support, if you're giving them the pitch as well why even hold a tournament. Hand them the trophy when they're announced as hosts.

 

[Aman]

Like England where spin was neutered?

Either way, if you get Aus/SA in a WC match abroad I'd expect fast tracks with a lot of bounce.

 

[AMSS]

There advantage is being familiar with grounds and home support, if you're giving them the pitch as well why even hold a tournament. Hand them the trophy when they're announced as hosts.

Correct. But shouldn't this question be put to ECB who made sure not even one spinner would feature in top 15 wicket takers list in CWC19?

To me, the pitches have been balanced this WC. Far more than the last edition.

 

[JaDed]

Either way, if you get Aus/SA in a WC match abroad I'd expect fast tracks with a lot of bounce.

Which is what ICT would be expecting..

 

[CricketCartoons]

Meh all it means is if India play Aus/Eng in a big WC match they might prepare pitches which benefit them.

India have opened a can of worms where the host nation can pick and choose what surfaces they play on.

And yet leave it to the chance of toss? Unless you mean that the toss can be decided by the host nation too.

 

[160KPH]

Like England where spin was neutered?

I think there’s a difference between conditions in a country generally favoring a certain type of bowling - such as the ball always swinging more in England compared to other countries or the subcontinent having more spin - and individually selecting pitches the day before the match in opposition to the procedure laid out by the ICC and the direction of the independent consultant hired for this very purpose.

At what point does it shift from being an ICC tournament to just an away series for all the visiting sides? But yes, in general, I also think that conditions and the toss are too influential upon the results of cricket games. The last 4 out of 5 ODI WC’s have been won by the home side. After this World Cup it will most likely be 5 out of 6. If it’s a given that the home team’s advantage is too great to overcome then the value of winning a WC will go down.

 

[uppercut]

Meh all it means is if India play Aus/Eng in a big WC match they might prepare pitches which benefit them.

India have opened a can of worms where the host nation can pick and choose what surfaces they play on.

There advantage is being familiar with grounds and home support, if you're giving them the pitch as well why even hold a tournament. Hand them the trophy when they're announced as hosts.

you might want to have a look at your posts on the 1st page of this thread ... less than about 36 hrs since this thread was opened your posts havent aged well at all. But I suppose these things dont bother you at all.

 

[Aman]

Correct. But shouldn't this question be put to ECB who made sure not even one spinner would feature in top 15 wicket takers list in CWC19?

To me, the pitches have been balanced this WC. Far more than the last edition.

Can't comment on England vs India, I didn't follow that match. I do remember there being controversy over India not trying to chase and Pakistan being knocked out as a result.

 

[160KPH]

Can't comment on England vs India, I didn't follow that match. I do remember there being controversy over India not trying to chase and Pakistan being knocked out as a result.

Ben Stokes somewhat hints at this in his book actually, that it was the only time he’s seen Dohni purposefully not go after the target or go for singles when he clearly needed boundaries.

 

[JaDed]

I think there’s a difference between conditions in a country generally favoring a certain type of bowling - such as the ball always swinging more in England compared to other countries or the subcontinent having more spin - and individually selecting pitches the day before the match in opposition to the procedure laid out by the ICC and the direction of the independent consultant hired for this very purpose.

At what point does it shift from being an ICC tournament to just an away series for all the visiting sides? But yes, in general, I also think that conditions and the toss are too influential upon the results of cricket games. The last 4 out of 5 ODI WC’s have been won by the home side. After this World Cup it will most likely be 5 out of 6. If it’s a given that the home team’s advantage is too great to overcome then the value of winning a WC will go down.

2011 2015 2019 , which is the 4th wc you are referring to?

 

[Bhaijaan]

Ball change technology
Pitch change technology
Toss winning technology

So much secret technology we Indians have developed.

Seriously, these journalists from certain countries cannot digest the success of Asians.

Unfortunately Asians keep on hating fellow Asians.

The dream of the Asian century won’t be realized soon if we Asians behave like this.

 

[160KPH]

Which is what ICT would be expecting..

There was no issue with the 2011 WC hosted in India - spinners dominated during that WC as well. The issue is choosing individual pitches to give you an advantage against different teams. There’s more spin in India, more bounce in Australia, and more swing in England - all of these are fine. What’s not fine is if the home team selected every individual pitch to suit their match up. Each ground also has its unique qualities - there’s a variety of bowling conditions in India. But, when a certain ground is always known for spin, for example, and then it spins all throughout the tournament, but in the home team’s matchup they go out of their way to select a flat pitch because it advantages them against the team they’re about to play - then that is an extremely unfair advantage.

 

[par]

Correct. But shouldn't this question be put to ECB who made sure not even one spinner would feature in top 15 wicket takers list in CWC19?

To me, the pitches have been balanced this WC. Far more than the last edition.

The pitches have been excellent this WC. That's not the problem.

But if you've already selected a particular pitch, stick with it unless there is a valid reason.

 

[160KPH]

2011 2015 2019 , which is the 4th wc you are referring to?

I think I may have actually confused/mixed up numbers but I think the actual numbers prove my point even more. It’s not the last 4 out of 5 ODI WC’s, it’s the last 3 out of 3 and, most likely, soon to be 4 out of 4. This was not the case in cricket historically - it’s clear that the advantage in ODI WC’s has shifted decisively towards home teams in recent times.

 

[160KPH]

Maybe the answer is to just put significantly less stock in tournaments won at home versus tournaments won away from home - the same way we do Test series. Then teams can do whatever they want but it’ll be recognized for what it is.

 

[LongHorn]

Maybe the answer is to just put significantly less stock in tournaments won at home versus tournaments won away from home - the same way we do Test series. Then teams can do whatever they want but it’ll be recognized for what it is.

It already is treated as such,
india for e.g. is known as a team unable to win the ODI world cup outside its own country for half a century (1983 to 2033) . This is something Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia and West Indies have all managed

 

[AMSS]

The pitches have been excellent this WC. That's not the problem.

But if you've already selected a particular pitch, stick with it unless there is a valid reason.

Yes, my first post on this thread asked exactly this question. Who has the authority to decide pitches? ICC says Mumbai Cricket Association does and that similar change in pitches have happened before.

Need more clarity.

 

[pillionrider]

Maybe the answer is to just put significantly less stock in tournaments won at home versus tournaments won away from home - the same way we do Test series. Then teams can do whatever they want but it’ll be recognized for what it is.

So now we have HTB WC winners

 

[AMSS]

Maybe the answer is to just put significantly less stock in tournaments won at home versus tournaments won away from home - the same way we do Test series. Then teams can do whatever they want but it’ll be recognized for what it is.

Not really. It wouldn't be beyond BCCI to pressure CSA for made to order pitches in CWC27

 

[RexRex]

I am pleased India won but we played dirty. And luckily got away with it.

 

[160KPH]

So now we have HTB WC winners

I mean we all know what happens to your top order when there’s a hint of swing.

But that’s not my point at all. You guys have the best team in the tournament and I think your ODI team would be competitive anywhere in the world. But that changes nothing of what I said. If India manage to win this World Cup and then win again in 2027, everyone knows the 2027 WC away from home would be more impressive than the current one.

My point was that there is something off if in the span of 12 years, every single ODI WC is won by the home side. By the way, my criticism extends to the 2019 England WC win considering we all saw how that same squad performed in India.

 

[pillionrider]

I mean we all know what happens to your top order when there’s a hint of swing.

Not sure if this is valid from a Pakistani pov anymore.

Shaheen, for eg, has been pulverized since that T20 WC.

It's either that, or he's lost his abilities.

You can't have it both ways

 

[Nikhil_cric]

There's a reason why ICC keeps the local association involved in pitch making and pitch selection.

1.They know local conditions much better.

2. One man's bias will not be able to affect a game.

The more pertinent question should be why the ICC "consultant" allowed such rubbish pitches in the knockouts in 2019 World Cup and in 2021 World T20 . But somehow had an issue with such a good pitch in this World Cup's knockout and raised a hue and a cry about the best, fairest knockout pitch we have seen in a long time

Either he is not competent enough or he is simply informed by his Anglo-centric idea of what a good pitch is.

But people are simply missing the forest for the trees as usual.

 

[Mesozoic]

I mean we all know what happens to your top order when there’s a hint of swing.

There was more than a "hint of swing" in Colombo during the Asia Cup and our top order mauled your attack for 112/0 in 15 overs and then 356/2 in total.

 

[160KPH]

There was more than a "hint of swing" in Colombo during the Asia Cup and our top order mauled your attack for 112/0 in 15 overs and then 356/2 in total.

Be careful checking Kohli’s Test record in England

 

[CricketCartoons]

I am pleased India won but we played dirty. And luckily got away with it.

Playing dirty which has equal probability of the opponent getting the best use which you want for yourself? Is a fair opportunity called playing dirty?

 

[uppercut]

Yes, my first post on this thread asked exactly this question. Who has the authority to decide pitches? ICC says Mumbai Cricket Association does and that similar change in pitches have happened before.

Need more clarity.

The clarity you are seeking is easily visible in how the match progressed ... the supposed wreckers ( Jadeja + Kuldeep) for whom the pitch was "designed" for took exactly one wicket between them despite having the luxury of bowling in the 2nd inngs with a massive run bank to defend. ( This is assuming that the toss was fixed too lol ).

So essentially no need to go looking for any official explanation. Simple common sense will do ( if the concern was about pitch rigging lol )

PS: Not saying you are suspecting any high handling from BCCI.

 

[CricketCartoons]

It already is treated as such,
india for e.g. is known as a team unable to win the ODI world cup outside its own country for half a century (1983 to 2033) . This is something Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia and West Indies have all managed

Let me shift your goalpost by 1 year. 1984-2033. Home world cups should be treated as zero world cups. So India and Pakistan have 1 WC each. In an ideal world.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

As I said in the match thread- I do genuinley congratulate Indian fans,because of your input and hard work the game in India and across the world has grown massively.

However in my eyes BCCI and Indian Cricket as an entity is tainted by the tragic events of yesterday.

If native Pakistanis cant raise their voices against this desecration of the gentlemans game then so be it. We will fight this fight without them.

 

[RexRex]

Playing dirty which has equal probability of the opponent getting the best use which you want for yourself? Is a fair opportunity called playing dirty?

What you mean ? This is simple. Fresh pitches favour NZ a bit more and used ones favour India. BCCI intervened at last minute to change the 'fresh pitch' which had all the cameras set up for it.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Ben Stokes somewhat hints at this in his book actually, that it was the only time he’s seen Dohni purposefully not go after the target or go for singles when he clearly needed boundaries.

Ben Stokes must have landed on his head rather than his knee before that World Cup, then. Dhoni played plenty of matches like that going into that World Cup.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

What you mean ? This is simple. Fresh pitches favour NZ a bit more and used ones favour India. BCCI intervened at last minute to change the 'fresh pitch' which had all the cameras set up for it.

Used pitch where all bowlers looked very ordinary except the GOAT World Cup bowler that is Shami. Quite an achievement to make such a nuanced pitch.

 

[uppercut]

What you mean ? This is simple. Fresh pitches favour NZ a bit more and used ones favour India. BCCI intervened at last minute to change the 'fresh pitch' which had all the cameras set up for it.

Prove it with empirical evidence.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Hey semi final is over Just wipe off the egg on your face and move on to next match. Atleast be graceful instead of trying to downplay opposition

 

[Nikhil_cric]

The only pitch conspiracy here is the brazen attempt by ICC/BCCI to get an India - Pakistan semifinal no matter what.

Both PAK v ENG and SL vs NZ happened on pitches with the most spin (Top 3 in tournament as per broadcast ).

And NZ vs SL happened on Chinnaswamy where ball barely turns usually!

Proper rigged pitch to screw NZ over.

It's another matter that PAK and SL were so hopeless that they couldn't win those matches

 

[CricketCartoons]

What you mean ? This is simple. Fresh pitches favour NZ a bit more and used ones favour India. BCCI intervened at last minute to change the 'fresh pitch' which had all the cameras set up for it.

Both teams had equal chance of first use of that pitch. Equal chance means fair.
How come NZ scored over 300 on a pitch which doesn't favour them despite not getting the first use of the wicket?

 

[Falconslions]

What you mean ? This is simple. Fresh pitches favour NZ a bit more and used ones favour India. BCCI intervened at last minute to change the 'fresh pitch' which had all the cameras set up for it.

With Fresh pitch, batting under lights was impossible. New Zealand would have been all out for 150-200 at best.

Used pitch helped them chase well in the 2nd innings. It made the match fair for both teams, batting 1st or 2nd.

 

[RexRex]

Prove it with empirical evidence.

There's no need.

Fresh pitch would aid Kiwi fast bowlers, who in 2019 semi reduced India to 5/3. The trauma of that defeat was lingering in their minds.

 

[RexRex]

Both teams had equal chance of first use of that pitch. Equal chance means fair.
How come NZ scored over 300 on a pitch which doesn't favour them despite not getting the first use of the wicket?

My point flew over your head. Why are you bringing 'first use' of the pitch into the discussion ? Nobody even mentioned that as an advantage.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

There's no need.

Fresh pitch would aid Kiwi fast bowlers, who in 2019 semi reduced India to 5/3. The trauma of that defeat was lingering in their minds.

Fresh pitch would aid any team that bowls under lights significantly more in the first 15 overs.

Then everyone would cry about imbalanced conditions.

 

[LongHorn]

Let me shift your goalpost by 1 year. 1984-2033. Home world cups should be treated as zero world cups. So India and Pakistan have 1 WC each. In an ideal world.

Jokes aside, in football at least, Italys win in 1934 and Argentinas win in 1978 and England in 1966 and Koreas 2002 semi final run are all considered examples of host nation using unfair means to progress or win. Englands was less so because it was the referees error in just 1 case.

But Korea and Argentina are both joked of because of the blatant way they were aided
Argentina in 1978 is similar to India in 2023, as in even without the maneuvers, they are likely the best teams in the tournament

 

[RexRex]

With Fresh pitch, batting under lights was impossible. New Zealand would have been all out for 150-200 at best.

That is debatable.

 

[CricketCartoons]

My point flew over your head. Why are you bringing 'first use' of the pitch into the discussion ? Nobody even mentioned that as an advantage.

How did India gain an advantage without rigging the toss? I will wait.

 

[RexRex]

How did India gain an advantage without rigging the toss? I will wait.

By nullifying the kiwi bowlers, the same ones that ambushed the Ind top order in 2019 semi.

 

[Falconslions]

That is debatable.

All matches played at Wankede prior to the last 2 prove it. Teams have been getting bowed out for 50-150 in the 2nd innings due to seam movement under lights on fresher wicket. Even Australia were 91/7 in 2nd innings

(1st innings big scores followed by 2nd innings low scores)

This one was a bit used, so better for batting throughout. Fair pitch for both teams, unlike previous pitches at wankede heavily favouring team batting 1st.

 

[Falconslions]

By nullifying the kiwi bowlers, the same ones that ambushed the Ind top order in 2019 semi.

Superior Indian fast bowlers were nullified even more. Can't you see. NZ didn't have Henry. They only had Boult. India had Bumrah, Shami and Siraj.

 

[emranabbas]

Question Is would the pitch had been different if pakistan were in the semi final? And who benefits from pitch changes the host team or the opposition? This isn't a bilateral series

 

[RexRex]

All matches played at Wankede prior to the last 2 prove it. Teams have been getting bowed out for 50-150 in the 2nd innings due to seam movement under lights on fresher wicket. Even Australia were 91/7 in 2nd innings

(1st innings big scores followed by 2nd innings low scores)

This one was a bit used, so better for batting throughout. Fair pitch for both teams, unlike previous pitches at wankede heavily favouring team batting 1st.

If this was their motive (which I doubt it was), then this should have been days ago and with the permission of ICC, not at the last minute.

 

[Falconslions]

They wanted the toss to not decide the outcome of the match.

A new pitch at Wankede would have at least 75% ensured victory for team batting 1st, as this tournament has already shown.

This is what the local curators avoided by choosing a better pitch resulting in a fair match.

A ICC consultant white guy sitting in UK can't know how things work in subcontinent. Sometimes you have to use common sense and thats what happened and this wasn't against ICC rules. Local ground authorities can choose if it is valid.

 

[RexRex]

Superior Indian fast bowlers were nullified even more. Can't you see. NZ didn't have Henry. They only had Boult. India had Bumrah, Shami and Siraj.

Put it this way. Its a cost-benefit decision. Do we want our Indian bowlers to have a helpful green seamer or do we want our ageing Indian top order to be protected from Kiwi seam and swing bowling ? They decided to go for the latter, which was aided by a used pitch.

 

[Falconslions]

If this was their motive (which I doubt it was), then this should have been days ago and with the permission of ICC, not at the last minute.

It was changed at least 2 days before the match. Both team inspected the match pitch on Tuesday, the day before the game.

Media is making it sound like it was changed 3 hours before the match. Curators need time to get any pitch ready.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

All matches played at Wankede prior to the last 2 prove it. Teams have been getting bowed out for 50-150 in the 2nd innings due to seam movement under lights on fresher wicket. Even Australia were 91/7 in 2nd innings

(1st innings big scores followed by 2nd innings low scores)

This one was a bit used, so better for batting throughout. Fair pitch for both teams, unlike previous pitches at wankede heavily favouring team batting 1st.

Not only that. What they seemed to have done is shaved off the grass to ensure there's not the same zip under lights.

There was still some swing but those dismissals under lights was also because of the way the ball was skidding on rapidly + the movement.

Shaving it off made that movement more manageable and reduced the gap between batting first and chasing .

 

[Falconslions]

If this was their motive (which I doubt it was), then this should have been days ago and with the permission of ICC, not at the last minute.

Why would India the most dominant team of the cup so far would want to rely on a toss? So it makes sense that they would want a pitch that is fair for batting 1st or 2nd so that since they are superior, they can push for a win in either innings, regardless of toss.

If it was a toss based pitch, then if they lose the toss, 50% match is over. It makes sense to avoid such a pitch. So I think India would definitely not want pitches favoring the toss.

 

[CricketCartoons]

By nullifying the kiwi bowlers, the same ones that ambushed the Ind top order in 2019 semi.

So a fair pitch would have been on which Kiwis ambushed India again?
But was that semi 2019 pitch fair for India if they got ambushed? It was unfair for them, no?

 

[HitWicket]

Why will ICC talk about any communication that exists or doesn't exist between them and their employee?

The BCCI hasn't even given a statement, tells you how much importance they give to these journalists.

Because if a highly reputable journalist has published communications between the ICC and one of their employees that bring the game into disrepute and they're fake, the first thing you'd do when commenting on the articles off the back of it would be to point out that they're fake.

 

[RexRex]

It was changed at least 2 days before the match. Both team inspected the match pitch on Tuesday, the day before the game.

Media is making it sound like it was changed 3 hours before the match. Curators need time to get any pitch ready.

Kumble said it was changed at the last minute and that it was unusual move.

 

[RexRex]

So a fair pitch would have been on which Kiwis ambushed India again?
But was that semi 2019 pitch fair for India if they got ambushed? It was unfair for them, no?

Whatever the pitch fairness is, you have to decide all this beforehand and by the ICC .. not at the behest of one team's management.

 

[Ahmed216]

This is only one game where it's been exposed. A genuine investigation is obviously not possible

 

[oatmeal]

Looks like they changed the pitch for the wrong semi final

 

[ex-q-zit]

It was changed at least 2 days before the match. Both team inspected the match pitch on Tuesday, the day before the game.

Media is making it sound like it was changed 3 hours before the match. Curators need time to get any pitch ready.

The pitch was last used 10 days back in the AUS vs AFG match which meant there was ample time for teh curator to prepare a good pitch fpr both innings which was evident with both teams scoring over 300.

All accusations on the BCCIs intentions about changing the pitch in the last minute would hold water if the pitch favoured India. But it was a normal Wankhade pitch. In fact unlike previous matches where team batting second struggled yesterday NZ too found batting pretty easy. So all these accusations of pitch switching are just mere speculations with no evidence of BCCI trying give Team India undue advantage.

 

[AAli98]

Daily mail going full on attack against Indians today claiming bcci rigs tosses

 

[ex-q-zit]

Daily mail going full on attack against Indians today claiming bcci rigs tosses

Wonder why BCCI didn't rig the toss in 2019 WC SF? Surely they had the same financiual clout even then if not more. If India loses toss and match then its fair but if India wins toss and match then pitch doctored, toss is rigged and verything under the sun favours India.

 

[CricketCartoons]

Whatever the pitch fairness is, you have to decide all this beforehand and by the ICC .. not at the behest of one team's management.

So now you dont care about the fairness of the pitch, as long as it is decided by the ICC?

A while ago you were saying the pitch was unfair because it nullified NZ bowlers. So was the 2019 semi pitch unfair as it nullified Ind batters, or is the Semi 2 pitch today unfair as it has nullified SA batters?

 

[Aman]

Not only that. What they seemed to have done is shaved off the grass to ensure there's not the same zip under lights.

There was still some swing but those dismissals under lights was also because of the way the ball was skidding on rapidly + the movement.

Shaving it off made that movement more manageable and reduced the gap between batting first and chasing .

Indian cricket team asked for the grass to be removed.

 

[ex-q-zit]

Might is Right

I just checked a few things:

India lost toss in 2019 WC SF against NZ
India lost toss in 2021 match against PAK
India lost toss vs 2022 t20 SF against ENG

But no hue and cry and everything is rosy.

IND wins toss in 2023 SF and the toss is rigged. So match is played fairly only if India loses. Loving this meltdown by English media and it being swallowed like holy grail by others.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Indian cricket team asked for the grass to be removed.

Good. They did you a massive favour. Otherwise you lot would have been bowled out for 150 under lights.

 

[AAli98]

It takes a thief to catch a thief big 3 probably got issues with each other & now are exposing each other.

 

[RexRex]

So now you dont care about the fairness of the pitch, as long as it is decided by the ICC?

A while ago you were saying the pitch was unfair because it nullified NZ bowlers. So was the 2019 semi pitch unfair as it nullified Ind batters, or is the Semi 2 pitch today unfair as it has nullified SA batters?

I haven't mentioned the word 'fair' even once. You seem obsessed with that word though lol.

My concern is with the abuse of power by BCCI.

 

[Mesozoic]

Loving this meltdown by English media and it being swallowed like holy grail by others.

All the English, Australian, Kiwi fans have moved on after seeing the pacers pick 13 out of 14 wickets to fall yesterday despite all the talk of a slow/low turner.

It's only the fans of youknowhich team , that are still unable to cope with the fact that India are a step away from being World Champions while their cricket is in tatters.

 

[CricketCartoons]

I haven't mentioned the word 'fair' even once. You seem obsessed with that word though lol.

My concern is with the abuse of power by BCCI.

So you concede you have no counter to the fairness of the situation? And if it was not unfair, then how was it abuse of any power?

You can only prove the abuse of power if you prove that something was unfair to the other.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Mark Butcher also criticized the alleged breach of protocol in pitch selection, which I guess reinforces the perception of bias.

-------------------------------------------

Mark Butcher on the recent pitch controversy said:

“Changes to planned pitch rotations are common towards the end of an event of this length, and has already happened a couple of times. This change was made on the recommendation of the venue curator in conjunction with our host. The ICC independent pitch consultant was apprised of the change and has no reason to believe the pitch won’t play well.”

“There is a growing perception that around the world in the game of cricket that the ICC is nearly sort of an executive branch of the BCCI. And when things like this happen, it does very little to change people’s opinion that that is the status quo."

“Now, to have Andy Atkinson, the ICC pitch inspector, apoplectic at the way the whole thing had gone about, regardless of whether or not the Maharashtra (Mumbai) Cricket Association were actually overall in charge of the conditions, to feel as though the ICC had kind of been blindsided by the decision that they clearly hadn’t been made aware of until the leak came, doesn’t do much to change people’s thought that the ICC basically does whatever the BCCI wants.”

“Look, India are the best team in the tournament, right? And if they win it, they will have deserved to win for that fact. Is there any need whatsoever, for there to be any sort of shenanigans whereby the gloss gets taken off the brilliance of their playing team?

“By this sort of, this nagging suspicion that the dice are loaded in their favour outside of the playing field as well. Stuff like this shouldn’t happen. And again, the pitch was fine, no issues with how it played. The issue is not how the pitch played."

“The issue is the railroading of the protocol around how it came about. And that, gives that perception that things are not as they ought to be, or at least that the playing field is not that level.”

“The perception is that ICC does what the BCCI wants and the reality looks as though that is the case."

“That’s got nothing to do with India being the best side and nothing to do with what happened on the field today (November 15), but you extrapolate that to other concerns whether it be about money, whether it be about tournament hosting, whether it be about television rights, whether it be about any of those things, the perception is already there that there is something slightly awry and when things like that happen, it reinforces it."

“It’s an unnecessary blight on the Indian playing squad, who are utterly fabulous.”
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