"ICC should take action" – Inzamam-ul-Haq latest to criticize Ahmedabad pitch
Inzamam-ul-Haq has become the latest cricketer to have a say on the Ahmedabad pitch. The former Pakistan skipper refused to credit India’s spinners for getting the better of the English batsmen, especially after Joe Root got a fifer.
The chatter around the surface used for the third India vs England Test refuses to die down. After 28 out of 30 wickets fell to spinners, many have deemed the surface to be unsuitable for Test cricket.
Indian spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel earned praise for their exploits against England. But speaking on his YouTube channel, Inzamam-ul-Haq refused to applaud their efforts.
"If Joe Root is picking up five wickets in six overs, you can imagine the condition of the wicket. Why should I praise R Ashwin and Axar Patel, when Root is picking up 5/8? Test matches have so many important elements, the venue, the ground, the umpire, referee, so a pitch should also hold some significance. Test match should look like a Test match," Inzamam said.
Axar Patel ended up with figures of 11/70 on home turf, while Ravichandran Ashwin’s 7/74 saw him become the second fastest to 400 Test scalps.
The majority of the batsmen failed to cope with the turn, as spinners ran the show. Neither of the teams went past 150, and the Test match lasted just 842 balls, the shortest post-World War II to produce a result.
Inzamam-Ul-Haq launched a scathing criticism of the surface, suggesting the game resembled a T20 fixture. Inzamam-ul-Haq also slammed India for overdoing their home advantage by preparing raging turners.
"Even scorecards in T20 matches read better than the one we saw in Ahmedabad. The ICC should take action on this. What sort of wickets are these that a Test match cannot even last two entire days? 17 wickets falling in less than one day, what are we playing on here? Sure, you take home advantage, spinning tracks should be made, but this sort of pitch I don't think should exist."
Inzamam-ul-Haq questions India’s performance
Pitches in Chennai and Ahmedabad have heavily favored the spinners. After the first Test saw some assistance for the seamers, subsequent pitches have been conducive to spin from the first session itself.
The result has seen spinners dominate the wicket-taking charts, with five out of the top six wicket-takers this series being spinners.
In a series where Joe Root has more wickets than established bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah, James Anderson and Jofra Archer, Inzamam-ul-Haq questioned whether such pitches have a place in Test cricket.
"No one could have thought, and neither can I remember when was the last time a Test match got over in two days. Did India play that well or was it the behaviour of the wicket? Should such wickets be part of Test matches?"