"The ICC needs to step in here" - Ian Healy lashes out at Nagpur stadium's ground staff for scuppering Australia's practice sessions
Former Australian keeper-batter Ian Healy has called for the ICC to step in after Nagpur stadium's groundstaff spoiled the tourists' practice sessions. The 59-year-old labeled the curators denying the visiting side a chance to practice on the wicket a 'pathetic effort.'
With the first Test lasting only two and a half days, Australia reportedly received consent to use the pitch to practice for the upcoming Tests. But despite confirmed plans for training on what would have been the fourth day of the Test, the Sydney Morning Herald reported that the ground staff had watered the pitch and stadium's nets, forcing Australia to cancel their practice sessions.
Speaking on SENQ Breakfast, Healy stated that it was not good for cricket to deny certain things despite being promised. The 119-Test veteran even stated that he wants the ICC to intervene and look into the matter.
"I think it’s a pathetic effort," Healy said. "It’s really embarrassing the scuppering of our plans to get some practice sessions on that Nagpur wicket. That’s not good, that’s just not good for cricket."
"The ICC needs to step in here and say, ‘Our nations need to trust each other must better, if you request certain conditions to practice and prepare on, you must get them,'" he added. "For them to water the wicket unceremoniously when it was requested for practice is horrible and that has to improve."
The tourists will hope to get some quality practice sessions ahead of what has become a must-win game in the second Test in Delhi.
Australia humiliated by India's spin twins in the first Test in Nagpur
The number one Test side suffered a massive innings and 132-run loss in the opening contest of the series. Batting first after winning the toss, Pat Cummins and Co failed to make the best use of the conditions and managed only 171 on the board, with Ravindra Jadeja claiming a fifer.
In reply, India batted comfortably to reach 400, headlined by a century from Rohit Sharma and half-centuries from Jadeja and Axar Patel. The second innings saw Ravichandran Ashwin take a fifer to rout the tourists for 91.