The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), in its reply to the International Cricket Council (ICC), has expressed its disagreement over match referee Chris Broad’s report that the Pune pitch was “poor”.
The Border-Gavaskar series-opener in Pune ended inside inside three days on a wicket that was providing turn right from the start. It was an unexpected result as Australia won the Test by 333 runs with spinner Steve O’Keefe claiming 12 wickets at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, hosting its first-ever Test. The hosts were were bowled out for paltry 105 and 107 in both innings, sparking criticism of the quality of the track.
Broad, in his report to the ICC, rated the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium pitch as poor. The governing body of the game subsequently forwarded the report to the BCCI and gave them 14 days to respond.
However, the Indian cricket board has expressed its strong disagreement on Broad’s claims. The BCCI sent its reply to the ICC on Friday (March 10) after the decision was taken at a meeting of the Committee of Administrators.
Speaking to The Times of India, a BCCI official said:
“That wasn’t a poor pitch. The Aussies scored 260 and 285 on it, after all. The definition of a poor pitch is that there’s uneven bounce, and batsmen are getting hurt. Did that happen in Pune?
“I agree the match ended early, India scored few runs (105 and 107), but Steve Smith scored a ton in the second innings, and KL Rahul scored a fifty. If a pitch doesn’t turn in the sub-continent, then where will it? We beg to differ… this isn’t a poor track. We disagree with Broad’s observation on the pitch. To term the Pune wicket as poor is harsh,” the source added.
According to reports, the Indian cricket board is worried that targeting the Indian pitches is a ploy to rob India of home advantage. In 2015, the Nagpur pitch was also rated poor after the hosts defeated South Africa inside three days.
“If the pitch offers turn, it’s bad. If it’s a seaming pitch, like it was at Nottingham in 2015 when England pacer Stuart Broad took eight for 15 to skittle out Australia for 60, than it’s said that there’s a problem with the batsmen’s technique. This is double standards. We’d given the same argument to the ICC in case of Nagpur back then, but the ICC didn’t accept it,” said a BCCI official.
The fate of the pitch will be now decided by Geoff Allardice, the ICC’s General Manager (Cricket), and Ranjan Madugalle, ICC’s chief referee. The ICC officials will review the BCCI’s response and study footage from the match before delivering their verdict on the pitch. The Pune wicket could escape with a warning since it was hosting its first-ever Test or a fine of not more than $15,000 along with a directive to take corrective action, as per the laws.