World Cup 2023: Kane Williamson shuts down pitch controversy while Gavaskar terms critics 'morons'

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson has shut down the controversy surrounding the Wankhede pitch after a section of international media, in the lead-up to the India vs New Zealand semifinal claimed that BCCI had doctored the pitch to suit the host nation.

Speaking at a presser after the match, Williamson said the pitch was a used one but it played just theway a regular surface is supposed to.

"No, I mean, yeah it was a used wicket, but a pretty good surface really, as we saw. I mean, they got plenty out of it in the first half of the match. And conditions, I guess they change as they go under lights and things, and that's what we've seen throughout this competition," said Williamson.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

The Wankhede pitch throughout the tournament has offered a little bit to spinners in the first half before giving the same incentive to fast bowlers under lights as humidity and light breeze come into consideration. The same happened on Wednesday (Nov 15) when Indian bowlers took the ball post 6:30 pm.

"That's what you expect and they played really well. So yeah, I mean it's disappointing to get to this stage and not go further, but also at the same time you sort of reflect on the seven weeks rather than a couple of small moments and we lost to a better side," added the Kiwi captain.

After the match, legendary former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, in a no-holds-barred monologue, slammed the critics of the pitch by terming them 'morons'.

"All the morons who were talking about the pitch change. Just stop. Stop taking potshots at Indian cricket. People have said a lot of things to attract eyeballs or whatever. It is all nonsense. The pitch was there and even if it was changed, it was there before the toss for both the teams," said Gavaskar.

"Stop talking about pitches. Already they are talking about Ahmedabad and the second semifinal hasn't even taken place. They are talking about the pitch being changed in Ahmedabad. Nonsense," he added.

What was the controversy?

According to reports, a fresh pitch was originally planned to be usedfor the semifinal.However, since India qualified for the first semifinal by topping the group stage, a used surface that assists the home team's spinners was employed for use, leading to accusations of pitch alteration.

While a section of media created furore regarding the fresh pitch, ICC released a statement saying no regulation was violated in the allotment of the surface.

The Indian spinners had a tough time on the pitch as Williamson and Daryl Mitchell never allowed them to settle. It was Mohammed Shami's genius with the ball that allowed India to walk away with a win when the Kiwis at one point, threatened to chase down 398.

(With inputs from agencies)