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The ICC's Global Committee for Excellence and High Standards in Pitches was unimpressed by the Chennai pitch on which the last ODI of the India- New Zealand series was played on Friday.
The clean shaven executives of the G.C.E.H.S.P noted that nine wickets fell to spinners for just 96 runs at a venue which will be hosting the ODI World Cup matches in two months time. They stressed that the both teams and pitches need to last 100 overs to match the expectations of the entertaining contests that previous editions of the World Cup have set.
Brushing aside the overcast conditions on the day, poor shot selection and umpiring mishaps, the executives said that a pitch which provides an unfair advantage to any one skill set such as spin bowling is detrimental to the health of the game. "It significantly reduces the span of a game and cheats the paying public of their money's worth of entertainment, regardless of whether the players involved manage to make a game of it or not" said one unnamed clean shaven executive.
The extent of action the committee might take on the substandard pitch is unclear, also unclear is when the next step might be taken given the paucity of time before the mega even kicks off in February.
Nevertheless, nervous officials await further communication from Dubai.
Crownish also blogs at the FCKingblog
The Chennai Pitch is Unacceptable : ICC
The rapist pitch
Centuries ago, people used to call the pitch at the Sharjah a bowlers nightmare. The pitch on which the current match is going on and countless such airstrips masquerading as pitches in the subcontinent seem to have gone a step further. Just 4 wickets gone in just two days. That means a dismissal every one and a half session. A wicket every 44.3 overs. Heck, I could have survived a few overs on this "pitch".
Admitted, the bowling on display was not great. However as seen in the last match, a little help transformed the Indian pea shooters to at least the "competent" level. Here help was in the form of the opposing captain saying "I Declare". The Lankan bowlers must have cringed on hearing those words.
Anjelo Matthews was warned officially for running on the pitch. I have a sneaking suspicion that he purposely danced on the pitch so that he could be banned and his sanity saved. If that is the case, I admire the fella.
This ain't a bowlers' graveyard. After toiling hard, if you get a century of runs made against you, you would prefer to be dead. Graveyard is where the dead rest undisturbed. Bowlers would wish to go spend the rest of their lives in the grave if they were told to bowl on pitches like these for the rest of their lives.
This thing is an undead bowler rapist.
