Prepare batting-friendly pitches, ICC tells WC curators

Encourage run-scoring, keep minimum 70-yard boundaries and ensure full ground coverage in case of rain, ICC's pitch consultant instructs local curators

Encourage run-scoring, for that’s what the spectators want! This was the underlying theme of a presentation made by International Cricket Council’s (ICC) pitch consultant Andy Atkinson in Mumbai on Wednesday, where he addressed a gathering of all host association curators for the upcoming ODI World Cup in India.

File image of the pitch at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai (Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

The talk of curated pitches to suit the home team never seems to go away. Atkinson, it is learnt, made it clear to the local curators — 9 of the 12 staging association curators attended the meet — that they shouldn’t come under any external pressure to remove grass from the pitches for specific matches. “We were told to try and provide a 60-40 pitch conducive to batting,” said one curator who attended the meet.

Comparative data of the past three World Cups suggest that the average first innings score was the lowest (249 runs) in the 2011 World Cup held in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. An average of 274 runs was scored in the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand while the number went further up to 276 in the last edition in England. The run-rate in the 2011 World Cup was 5.03 as opposed to 5.65 in 2015 and 5.69 in 2019.

While run rates at large have picked up speed, the ICC wants the 2023 ODI World Cup to be a high-scoring spectacle with the 50-over format coming under constant pressure from its younger offshoot.

While most of the associations are working towards keeping the outfields lush green, they were encouraged to ensure there wasn’t excessive cutting for the ball to travel faster, lest it discouraged fielders to dive and slide.

The minimum boundary dimensions should be 70 yards and the maximum 80 yards, the gathering was told.

With climatic conditions being unpredictable, those hosting grounds who don’t have sand-based outfields were told to ensure they had covers in place to cover the entire ground in case of rain.

The ten grounds hosting matches in the main tournament are required to keep a minimum of three centre-wicket pitches ready for action. Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai, Lucknow, Dharmsala and Pune are slated to host five World Cup matches each, while three matches will be played in Hyderabad.

The warm-up matches begin on September 29 while the opening fixture between England and New Zealand will be played on October 5.