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Journalism of Courage
Pitches for two of the Tests between India and Sri Lanka may be subject to an International Cricket Council (ICC) probe after serious criticism of their preparation and a report said to have been prepared by match officials headed by former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd. The report suggests that pitches at the Ferozshah Kotla in Delhi and Motera in Ahmedabad were unsuitable.
Word leaked by insiders at Ahmedabad says there was more concern about the surface at Motera than that at the Kotla, but the report is already being sent to the ICC headquarters in Dubai. Sri Lankan team officials, approached before their departure, declined to comment.
The report would be without any known precedent, though rival captains around the world have often raised their voices against pitches they have not liked.
It is known that coach Tom Moody was surprised by the state of the surface at Motera, a venue that Sri Lankans were happy with when the change was made during the first, rain-affected Test at Chennai. Marvan Atapattu was non-committal on the state of the pitch throughout the period of the game.
At the time of the switch in venues, Moody felt that Motera was a good choice after the newly elected board, headed by Sharad Pawar switched venues on December 4 at their first meeting in Mumbai. But there have also been suggestions that there was not enough time to prepare the pitch for the third Test after the switch.
Sri Lanka salvaged a victory in their day/night game during their 1-6 ODI series loss in October, which is why they were happy with the choice, although it is known they had preferred Mumbai or Bangalore.
Only Lloyd and others, said to be umpires Billy Bowden and Nadeem Ghauri as well as TV umpire I. Shivram, were unhappy with the general state of the Motera pitch. Lloyd was critical of the pitch when he toured India in 1983 as captain of the West Indies side when the Gujarat venue hosted its first Test. Lloyd maintains that the surface was as bad in this Test as it was when West Indies played at Motera 22 years ago. Claims then say he called it a dust heap.
This time however, Lloyd has asked for a probe by an ICC appointed pitch inspector, most likely from either Australia or New Zealand. The Black Caps have had a hand in helping prepare India’s pitches to bring them up to Test and ODI level.
The report, however, suggests that India’s decision to play matches this time of year in the north is detrimental to pitch preparation. One of the recommendations is that the BCCI revisit this policy to avoid further criticism.
Whether the Lloyd report carries enough clout with the ICC depends on the view of several other match referees. They have also suggested that a number of Test pitches in several countries (including Australia and South Africa) fall below Test level.
