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ICC pitch consultant Andy Atkinson did not appear during pitch preparations ahead of the World Cup 2023 final between India and Australia, raising questions over his future. It is learned that Atkinson from New Zealand arrived here on Friday afternoon and will join the preparations tomorrow. “Andy has not returned home,” an International Cricket Council (ICC) source told PTI on condition of anonymity. He arrived here this afternoon with the ICC team, so he did not go to the ground. He will be available tomorrow to review pitch preparations.
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Atkinson accused the host nation of changing the pitch (from the new pitch to the old pitch) for the semi-final between India and New Zealand, after which the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officials were upset with him.
However, the ICC later clarified that there was no rule that knockout matches should be played on new pitches and Atkinson was informed of this in advance.
On Friday, two of BCCI’s senior chief groundsmen, Ashish Bhowmick and Taposh Chatterjee, along with former Indian fast bowler and BCCI general manager of domestic cricket AB Kuruvilla, inspected the pitch preparations for Sunday’s final, on which heavy rollers were used.
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It has not been confirmed whether the final will be played on the new or used pitch. A curator of the state association said, ‘If heavy rollers are used on a black clay pitch, a slower batting pitch will be created where big scores can be made but not hit consistently. A score of 315 runs can be defended as it will be difficult for the team batting in the second innings.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja had a rigorous net practice along with reserve players Ishan Kishan, Ravichandran Ashwin and the popular Krishna. As usual, Rohit and Dravid spent a lot of time looking at the pitch and also spoke to the two curators.