Australian captain raises concern over World Cup final pitch
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Australian captain Pat Cummins was not too concerned about the Ahmedabad pitch before ICC World Cup 2023 final against India on Saturday but a Fox Cricket report has now emerged which claimed that he has raised an issue with the ground staff at the Narendra Modi Stadium regarding the 22-yard strip.
Cummins inspected the surface at the stadium on the eve of the high-profile match and was allegedly not happy with a couple of rough patches on both ends which could bring the spinners into play very early in the match.
Notably, controversy surrounding the pitch erupted before India's semi-final against New Zealand with some reports claiming that the wicket was changed just hours before the game to suit the hosts.
Pat Cummins reportedly raised concerns with ground staff after inspecting the pitch for tonight's World Cup final.
— Fox Cricket (@FoxCricket) November 19, 2023
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“The verdict was that these patches on both sides of the pitch had not been watered, or not to the same extent, anyway as the centre of the wicket.
“Leaving the Aussie camp quite convinced that the spinners would come into play a lot more than they have on a number of pitches seen during the tournament, and from early in the piece too,” an Australian team member was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.com.
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These statements are contrary to what Cummins said about the track on Saturday at the pre-match press conference where he brushed aside the talks surrounding the pitch.
“Yeah, just had a look. Again, I'm not a great pitch reader, but it looked pretty firm. They've only just watered it, so yeah, give it another 24 hours and have a look, but it looks like a pretty good wicket.
"Yeah, hard to know, I think it's been a bit more high scoring here throughout the tournament. Yeah, it's been a pretty good wicket, so yeah, hard to say," Cummins told reporters on the eve of the game.
Rohit Sharma's take on Ahmedabad pitch
India captain Rohit Sharma meanwhile, reckoned that the wicket will be on the slower side which means the spinners will be crucial for both teams.
"That wicket (Pakistan game), there was no grass on it. This wicket has some grass on it. That wicket looked a lot more drier than this one - I don't know, maybe you know, I still haven't looked today how the wicket is but from my understanding obviously it's slightly going to be on the slower side.”