Former England batter Mark Butcher has come down hard on BCCI for changing the pre-approved pitch for the World Cup semi-final between India and New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
India registered a resounding 70-run win against New Zealand yesterday (November 15) to book a spot in the 2023 World Cup finals.
India initially built a massive lead of 397-4 thanks to scores from Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer, but in the run chase, Mohammed Shami’s seven points took the wind out of New Zealand’s sails and they were bowled out at 327. It was done.
However, before the match there was a controversy over the pitch. According to a report in the Daily Mail, the pitch that was to be used for the first semi-final was changed from Pitch 7, which was not used in the World Cup, to Pitch 6, where two World Cup matches were played. That’s what it means. Already played.
It was claimed that the changes were approved at the behest of the home board, without consulting independent ICC pitch consultant Andy Atkinson, to benefit the Indian team.
The ICC was then forced to issue a statement, saying such changes in pitching rotations are common in long tournaments and that Atkinson had been “informed” of the change and that it was “not planned”. Changes in pitching rotations are the opposite, and “this kind of event is a regular thing at the end of a game” and has occurred several times. This change was made at the recommendation of venue curators and in collaboration with organizers. The ICC’s independent pitch advisor has been informed of this change and there is no reason to believe that the pitch will not work. ”
After the match, Butcher talked about how the pitch swap only reinforced the impression that the ICC was doing what the BCCI wanted. Butcher said on theWisden Cricket World Cup Daily Podcast: “There is a growing recognition around the world that the ICC is almost a kind of…” BCCI cricket match. And when something like that happens, it doesn’t change people’s minds that this is the way it is.
“It is now clear that Andy Atkinson, the ICC’s pitch inspector, can believe the way things played out, regardless of whether or not the Maharashtra (Mumbai) Cricket Board actually had overall responsibility for the conditions. Somehow blindsided by this decision, which was only communicated when there was an obvious leak, the ICC essentially did what the BCCI wanted. It didn’t do much to change people’s opinions about doing anything. ”
Butcher also said that India is the best team in the tournament so they don’t need to do anything that could affect their performance on the field. “India are the best team in the tournament, right? And if they win, they deserve to win for that reason. Do they need a gimmick that takes away the shine from the team?
“There’s this nagging suspicion that the dice are being loaded in their favor even outside the playing field. Things like this shouldn’t happen. And here again the pitch was good and there were no problems with the way the game was played.The problem was not how it was played on the field.
“The problem is letting the protocol know how it happened.” And that gives the impression that things aren’t as they should be, or at least that the playing field isn’t at that level. Masu. ”
Butcher added that considering everything else, including television contracts and hosting rights, the pitch exchange controversy only strengthens people’s perception that the ICC is under the control of the BCCI. He is doing what the BCCI wants and that is what is happening.
“It has nothing to do with India being the best team and it has nothing to do with what happened on the field today (November 15th). Rather, it has nothing to do with money or hosting a tournament. So we moved on to other concerns, like TV rights or something else.” There was already a perception that something was wrong, and that something like that would happen. And it’s amplified.
“This is an unnecessary disadvantage for the Indian team. The Indian team is really good.”
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