Angry captains hit out at pitch

In the end it turned out to be a great game of cricket. However, the entertainment factor cannot mask the fact that the quality of the wicket rolled out for such a high-profile World Cup clash left a lot to be desired.

In the end it turned out to be a great game of cricket. However, the entertainment factor cannot mask the fact that the quality of the wicket rolled out for such a high-profile World Cup clash left a lot to be desired.

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The South Africa and England captains were both unanimous that the pitch needs to be more even for a one-day game than what they played on at the Chidambaram Stadium.

“If you have lost one or two wickets it is difficult to get back on this type of wicket as you must have seen during England's innings. It is fair to say that it was not a free flowing wicket. There was lot for bowlers, including reverse swing and inconsistent bounce. We are not complaining but it was difficult to bat on today,” Smith said.

Strauss echoed his counterpart's views.

“History suggests that you do not often play on pitches like that. Generally one day cricket, you would like to play on flat wickets. But sometimes pitches like this makes the most for entertaining cricket. It was turning here and perhaps in England a similar pitch might bounce. It is different in that respect. If I am pushed on outside, it perhaps broke up too much,” said Strauss.