ICC Gives ‘Average’ Rating To Pitches For World Cup Final And Four Other India Games

The ICC gave an average rating to eight pitches used for the 2023 World Cup, including the one used for the final between India and Australia.

The wickets at the Ahmedabad Summit were inspected before the start of the match after it was confirmed that the match would be played on a used pitch. The India vs Pakistan match was played on the same track earlier and the ICC also rated the wicket in that match as ‘average’.

India controlled an unrestricted 97 balls in the final and struggled to reach 240 in 50 overs. In response, Australia, with some help from Dew, chased down the target with relative ease, with Travis Head scoring his 120-ball 137.

The wicket for the second semi-final between Australia and South Africa at Eden Gardens was also rated ‘Average’. The first-placed Proteas finished on 212, with Australia losing a total of seven wickets in 47.2 overs.

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Incidentally, in the first semi-final between India and New Zealand, the wicket was rated as ‘good’. This attracted a lot of attention after it was alleged that the organizers had swapped pitches and selected used trucks.

Eden Gardens, which won the ‘Best Ground and Pitch’ award in IPL 2023, hosted five matches in the World Cup, three of which were played on pitches that were ultimately rated ‘Average’ . The ICC has decided that in addition to the second semi-final match, the matches between India and South Africa and Pakistan and Bangladesh will also be played on “average” wickets.

The pitch for the opening World Cup match between India and Australia in Chennai, where the world champions were ultimately sent off for 199 points, was also rated ‘average’. The same markings were also seen on the wicket gates of the India vs England match at Lucknow’s Ekhana Stadium.

However, not all wickets were sanctioned as the ICC only marks a pitch as substandard if it is deemed ‘inadequate’ or ‘unsuitable’.

Wickets that were rated “Average” by the ICC in the World Cup:

India vs Australia, Chidambaram Stadium, Massachusetts, ChennaiIndia vs Pakistan, Narendra Modi Stadium, AhmedabadIndia vs England >, Ekana Stadium, LucknowPakistan vs Bangladesh, Eden Gardens, KolkataIndia vs South Africa, Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Australia vs Bangladesh, MCA Stadium, Pune
Semifinal Australia vs South Africa, Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Final India vs Australia, Narendra Modi Stadium , Ahmedabad