Lucknow pitch curator gets the sack for preparing below par wicket: Reports
Indian cricket team
If reports are to be believed, the pitch curator at Lucknow's Ekana Stadium has got the sack after preparing a horrid pitch that Indian captain Hardik Pandya termed a 'shocker of a wicket'.
According to an Indian Express report, the sources in the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA) confirmed the decision of the curator's sacking.
It is being reported that the pitch curator, who goes by the name Surinder, was asked at the eleventh hour by the Indian team management to prepare a new pitch.
While the curator had two black soil pitches ready to go, the request by the top Indian management threw a spanner in the plans as the pitch could not be readied in time.
“At the behest of a last-minute request from team management three days prior to the match, the curator had been asked to prepare a fresh pitch made of red soil instead. The new pitch could not be adequately prepared on short notice, and led to even slower conditions," said the publication.
After India just about managed to hold their own in the second T20I to level the series, skipper Pandya did not mince his words in the criticism of the pitch.
"To be honest, it was a shocker of a wicket. Both the games we have played so far. I don't mind difficult wickets. I am all up for that, but these two wickets are not made for T20. Somewhere down the line the curators or the grounds that we are going to play in should make sure they prepare the pitches earlier," he said.
"Even 120 would have been a winning total here. Dew didn't play much of a role because if you see they were able to spin the ball more than us. It was a shocker of a wicket. The ball was flying for even the fast bowlers."
Pandya was also referring to the pitch at the JSCA Stadium, Ranchi, the venue for the first T20I. Batting second, India were expecting the dew to make matters easier for the batters.
However, the ball started turning square during the chase which allowed New Zealand spinners to come into the act and eventually win the match.
Even the visitors were surprised to see the extent of spin they were able to extract out of the pitch.
"We were surprised with the turn, in the first innings too and we were fortunate to bowling second and the turn was still there," said off-spinner Michael Bracewell.
With the series levelled at 1-1, the action now moves to Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat where the two teams will face each other on Wednesday.
Formerly known as the 'Motera Stadium', the pitch here is infamous for offering excessive spin to the bowlers.
(With inputs from agencies)
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