"We know that England Women deserve a fresh wicket" - ECB disappointed at not being able to provide fresh pitch for India Test

The England Cricket Board (ECB) have expressed their disappointment at not being able to provide a fresh pitch for the much-awaited England Women vs India Women Test.

The board was slammed after it came to light that the playing surface for the one-off Test at Bristol would be an old one, with 37 overs already played on it.

The ECB reacted to the controversy in an official statement, admitting England Women deserve a fresh pitch for the historic Test.

“We are all disappointed that the wicket for the Test match against India will have had 37 overs played on it. We know that England Women deserve a fresh wicket and we are sorry that we were unable to provide that in this instance,” an ECB spokesperson said.

England Women play India in a Test for the first time in seven years tomorrow, but it'll be on a pitch already used for a T20.Here's captain Heather Knight...#bbccricket pic.twitter.com/UWZQje2ZE5

— Test Match Special (@bbctms) June 15, 2021

India Women will take on England Women in their first Test in seven years when the two sides square off in Bristol. After the pitch controversy, the ECB claimed the late scheduling of the Test along with a lack of first-class grounds led to the unfortunate situation.

“With the Test only being added to the calendar in mid-April, coupled with the lack of available first-class grounds, we knew a fresh TV pitch was going to be a challenge. We accept that this issue shouldn’t have arisen and we will make sure it doesn’t happen in the future,” the statement read.

All future games bar one to be played on fresh pitches: England Cricket Board

… a Test, it’s like they are playing for the whole future viability of the format. The pressure is on them to make it entertaining as well as to win, in a format they almost never play, often on crappy pitches. And pitches are the one factor that can be controlled.

— Melinda Farrell (@melindafarrell) June 15, 2021

The two sides will shift their attention to white-ball cricket following the culmination of the one-off Test. India Women take on England Women in a three-match ODI series, followed by a three-game T20I series in July. The ECB confirmed that except for the second T20I, all India Women vs England Women games will be played on fresh surfaces.

“With the exception of Hove – the venue for the second Vitality IT20, for which a hybrid wicket will be used – all other white-ball matches against India will be played on fresh wickets including the opening Royal London ODI at Bristol on 27th June,” the ECB concluded.

Following the pitch controversy, many criticised the board for not taking the women’s game seriously as the ECB attracted the wrath of fans and pundits alike.