ICC Pitch Consultant expresses 'favouritism' concerns over preparations for Cricket World Cup Final

There are concerns regarding the pitch preparations for the upcoming ICC World Cup final as revealed by ICC pitch consultant Andy Atkinson. Atkinson, who oversees the pitch preparations for ICC events, has expressed doubts about whether the final pitch will be made 'without favouritism.'

Reports suggest that Atkinson visited Ahmedabad to assess the pitch preparations for the final, expressing dissatisfaction with alleged changes favouring the home team, India. Earlier, the Indian Express had reported that, for the semifinal against New Zealand, the Indian team management instructed BCCI curators to trim the grass on the Wankhede Stadium playing surface.

India has traditionally excelled on slow tracks, and prior to the World Cup, the team management had requested matches to be held on slow pitches.

Typically, pitches at ICC events are prepared with Atkinson's supervision, with agreements made in advance with the home board on which strips will be used for each game. However, concerns have been raised about the Ahmedabad Stadium, where three of the four group games were reportedly played on surfaces different from the schedule.

Atkinson recommended using pitch No. 5 for the final, which had been used only once. However, there are indications that pitch No. 6, used twice, might be chosen to favour India's spinners.

In an email, Atkinson expressed concerns about potential favoritism in pitch preparation, questioning whether it would be the first-ever ICC World Cup final with a pitch specifically chosen at the request of the home team's management.

“As a result of these actions, one must speculate if this will be the first ever ICC CWC (cricket World Cup) final to have a pitch which has been specifically chosen and prepared to their stipulation at the request of the team management and/or the hierarchy of the home nation board.”

He emphasised the importance of selecting or preparing the pitch without bias for either competing side, adhering to the usual standards for such occasions.

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