While the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 has captivated fans with its exciting matches, this semifinal between India and New Zealand faces a shadow of controversy surrounding the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

In a recent update, the ICC addressed unusual assertions regarding the alteration of the Wankhede Stadium pitch for India vs. New Zealand World Cup 2023 semi-finals. The cricket governing body dismissed the speculations, stating that pitch rotations are a customary practice towards the end of extended tournaments and refuted any notion of it favouring the home team.

According to AP News, “Changes to planned pitch rotations are common towards the end of an event of this length, and has already happened a couple of times,” the ICC said. “This change was made on the recommendation of the venue curator in conjunction with our host.”

What is the 'change of pitch' controversy?

On the day of India’s semi-final match against New Zealand at the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup, reports surfaced claiming that the organizers had manipulated the pitch at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai to favour the home team. 

According to Daily Mail and ESPN Cricinfo, the match took place on pitch 6 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, instead of the initially agreed pitch 7. Pitch 7, the central pitch, has not been used in the World Cup, while pitch 6, situated off-centre, hosted two matches. The Indian Express added that Wankhede curators, as per the Indian team's preference, have prepared a slow pitch by removing most of the grass, aiming to benefit India's spinners.

The World Cup pitches are meticulously prepared by the ground staff at each stadium, with the guidance of the International Cricket Council's consultant, Andy Atkinson. As reported by the Daily Mail, the curators at the Wankhede informed Atkinson about certain issues with pitch 7, leading to the decision to switch pitches.

_{(Photo: X/BBC)}

Several former cricketers, particularly those from England and Australia, voiced strong criticism against the pitch change, asserting that a fresh pitch is mandatory for the semifinals and the final. However, the ICC World Cup rule book does not explicitly mandate the use of a fresh pitch for the knockout stages.

(With Input from Agencies)

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