5 times a pitch courted controversy in a Cricket World Cup ft. New York
Although a cricket ground spans a lot of area in total, the most decisive area is the patch of 22 yards in the middle. A lot of thought and hard work goes into preparing a pitch, and extra precaution is taken when it comes to major events as a lot depends on how the surface behaves.
How much time it is being exposed under the sun, how much is it being watered, how it is being rolled and how much grass is left on - are all questions that need precise answers to prepare a sporting pitch. The game can only prosper on wickets that bring out an even battle between the bat and ball.
Although nowadays it has been skewered in favor of the batter, the majority of the pitches are safe to play cricket on. However, when pitches tend to be lopsided towards one team than the other, or not safe to play on, that is the time when action needs to be taken.
On that note, let us take a look at five times a pitch courted controversy in a Cricket World Cup.
#1 Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York (2024 T20 World Cup)
The newly constructed venue was assigned to host a lot of high-profile matches in the 2024 T20 World Cup, but it has been chastised in the initial leg of the tournament itself.
The drop-in pitch is clearly still raw, and since there was not a provision for a lot of matches to be played on the surface before the tournament, the teams partaking ended up being the test subjects. The invariable bounce has almost led to batters having no say in the proceedings, and a three-digit score is yet to be breached on a venue after two internationals were played recently.
The ICC has been forced to intervene and released a statement where they mentioned that the pitch would be worked ahead of the high-profile India-Pakistan encounter on June 9.
"T20 Inc and the ICC recognise that the pitches used so far at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium have not played as consistently as we would have all wanted. The world-class grounds team have been working hard since the conclusion of yesterday's game to remedy the situation and deliver the best possible surfaces for the remaining matches," ICC's statement read.
The USA cricket team is doing its best to put the world on notice with consecutive wins, but the poor pitch in New York is clearly stealing the limelight and negating all of their hard work.
#2 Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai (2023 ODI World Cup)
The build-up to the 2023 ODI World Cup semi-final between India and New Zealand could not be more dramatic. Reports surfaced on the eve of the game stating that the contest would be played on a used surface rather than a fresh one, and the switch was a last-minute one.
Initially, pitch No.6 was supposed to be used, but it was switched to pitch No.7, which had already hosted matches in the league stage of the tournament. To make matters worse, reports suggested that the decision was taken without informing ICC's independent pitch consultant, Andy Atkinson.
The news spread like wildfire, with the rest of the world uniting to accuse India of titling the conditions in their favor. The clash, however, ended up being a high-scoring one, with only one wicket being taken by a spinner.
The pitch used for the final of the tournament at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad also copped a lot of criticism. Several former players accused India of doctoring the pitch, which ultimately backfired as Australia lifted the title.
#3 Adelaide Oval (2022 T20 World Cup)
Much like the 2023 ODI World Cup, the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final involving India and England saw the 'used pitch' controversy claim the spotlight in the build-up to the contest.
The infamous English media and pundits latched onto the information and blamed BCCI and ICC for the same. They felt that a crucial match like a World Cup semi-final should be played on a fresh wicket to ensure a fair contest.
However, the Jos Buttler-led side ended up comfortably beating India by 10 wickets to move into the final, and eventually win the title for the second time.
#4 The Gabba, Brisbane 2015 World Cup
Pakistan played a low-scoring thriller against Zimbabwe in the 2015 ODI World Cup, prevailing by just 20 runs. The Men in Green were handed a scare by being restricted to 235 runs, but the bowling unit stood up to bowl Zimbabwe out for 215 runs.
Despite the win, former Pakistan pacer Safraz Nawaz accused India of having pitches in the tournament, when compared to Pakistan. By that time India had already compiled a couple of high scores against Pakistan and South Africa, with their strong batting unit comprising the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Shikhar Dhawan stepping up.
"You look at the matches played so far in this World Cup that where India has played the pitches have been prepared to suit their strengths." the former pacer had said on a TV channel show (via TOI).
"Look at today's match the pitch was double paced and had lot of bounce which goes against our strengths. I would ask the Pakistan Cricket Board to take up this issue with the ICC and find out what is going on," he added.
#5 Old Trafford, Manchester (2019 World Cup)
After New Zealand were restricted to 211/5 in 46.1 overs, before rain marked its presence in the 2019 ODI World Cup semi-final, fans and pundits ridiculed the surface. The tournament was a mixed bag of high-scoring and low-scoring affairs, but the batters did have difficulty on some of the wickets.
The ICC issued a response and denied playing any hand in such low-scoring matches being played out consistently.
"Essentially the venues are responsible for the pitch preparation which is done with oversight and guidance from the ICC and our independent pitch consultant," ICC's statement read.
“The guidance we give any host of an ICC event is to prepare the best possible pitches for the conditions in that country – so in this case the best possible ODI pitch for typical English conditions and we would also look for even bounce and good carry. The ICC does not instruct groundsmen to prepare pitches in a certain way to advantage, or disadvantage, any team.”
New Zealand eventually scored 239/8, and the Men in Blue had a horrid time during the run chase. They were reduced to 5/3 after failing to deal with the new ball and were ultimately restricted to 221/8.