ahead of the final
Ahmedabad: It is normal to inspect the pitch before a match but it is somewhat unusual to have photographs of the pitch taken, which may have been taken in the dressing room to discuss and formulate strategies. This is what happened this morning when Australian captain Pat Cummins came to see the pitch that will be used for the World Cup final against India. Before the big match, there might have been doubts in the minds of the Australian players about the pitch. When Cummins was asked about the type of pitch which was used for the match played between India and Pakistan, he said, “I have just seen the pitch. ,
When asked how the pitch looked, he said, “I don’t understand the pitch that well, but it looks quite hard.” They have just sprinkled water on it. So yes, we will see it again after 24 hours, but it looks a very good wicket. “I think Pakistan played here,” he said. Cummins did not take the name of India.
Captain Pat Cummins inspects the pitch ahead of the final 🔍#CWC23 #INDvAUS pic.twitter.com/ymBAK5o8x6
— ICC (@ICC) November 18, 2023
Australia trained in the afternoon session but Cummins was at the Narendra Modi Stadium at 9.30. He went to the square and started photographing the pitch, presumably to see how the pitch would change from Saturday morning to evening and how much it would change by the afternoon of the match. In fact, before the start of Australia’s training session, Steve Smith, Travis Head, head coach Andrew McDonald also wanted to see the pitch closely. Head is a good off-spinner and tried to see the hardness of the pitch.
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Some balls were going towards the right angle on the Eden Gardens pitch and Cummins believes that it will not be like the Motera pitch. A very heavy roller has been used to slow down the pitch of black soil. Due to this, if the opposition team has two spinners then it will be difficult to bat in floodlights.
“There have been a lot of big scores here throughout the tournament,” he said. This will definitely happen for both the teams. There is no doubt that you are playing on your country’s wicket, which will give you some advantage because you have been playing on such wickets all your life. International Cricket Council pitch consultant Andy Atkinson was present for an hour and BCCI curators inspected the pitch on the final day before handing it over to match referee Andy Pycroft.
“I think the biggest difference will be made by dew,” Cummins said. This city and stadium receive more dew than any other place. So maybe yes, we will have to think about it before the match tomorrow.” If Australia bats in the second innings, Cummins indicated that there could be some changes in the batting order in view of the possibility of dew. He said, “Batting will be easier in the day compared to the twilight but in the second innings it may fall in the last part of the match, so we have to think about it.” (agency)
