BCCI defends the Nagpur pitch

The Nagpur pitch had drawn the ire of many over its excessive turn.

Amid questions raised on the quality of the surface produced for the third Test between India and South Africa in the recently concluded Paytm Freedom Series, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has stood its ground defending the pitch.

The Nagpur pitch was rated ‘poor’ by the ICC match referee Jeff Crowe, and the BCCI on December 1 were asked to respond to the assessment within 14 days. However, the BCCI is unyielding in its support for the Nagpur surface saying that the match referee’s report had various inconsistencies.

A top BCCI official spots a minor nuance in the ICC’s guidelines for pitches as compared to what had been reported by the match referee. The match report has mentioned that the ball started turning from day one, with excessive turn being offered only on day three.

The official said that the guidelines by the ICC deemed a pitch poor if it offered excessive assistance to the spinners, ‘especially early in the match’, and not just ‘early in the match.’ This was in clear contention with the ICC rules as excessive spin was observed only on day three and not on day one.

Also, the BCCI is of the opinion that the clause of excessive turn and turn from day one is subjective. Since the batsmen were not familiar with pitches turning from day one, it was new for them, but that does not mean the pitch was dangerous.

Excessive spin was also a subjective issue, as it depends on how the bowler uses it, opined the official, as he clearly stated that there was nothing wrong with the surface.

The strong BCCI resistance has come in the wake of the recent controversy over the quality of pitches produced in the series against South Africa, where two of the three completed Tests ended within three days.

However, the Indian team along with the BCCI have strongly contested these claims saying that it was the onus of the batsmen to play in these conditions and bat well on testing surfaces.

The hullabaloo over the pitch arose after the Nagpur Test between India and South Africa, which India had won by 124 runs. The match saw South Africa score a measly 79 in their first innings when their batsmen were unable to cope with the turning ball.

The matter would now be decided by Geoff Allardice, the ICC general manager of cricket, along with Rajan Madugalle, its chief match referee after considering all the evidence, the BCCI’s reply, and a video footage from the match, as they would ascertain whether the pitch was indeed poor.

If found so, the consequences could be a warning and/or a fine of $15000 with instructions to apply corrective measures.