The ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 is in its second week, and some great games have already treated fans so far. Team India has started pretty well, with two wins out of two games after beating Australia and Afghanistan. The mega clash between India and Pakistan will be played on Saturday at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
But the tournament has also drawn some criticism for various reasons. Some former cricketers questioned the empty stand earlier, and now former Pakistani all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez has criticized the pitch made in India for the World Cup.
In a cricket show on PTV called “Game on Hai”, Hafeez made a questionmark on the pitches in Chennai for the IND-AUS game and the NZ-BAN game, which were different, and India are taking advantage of the home conditions. On Friday, he also shared a post on his Twitter (now X) account with two pictures of pitches in Chennai for both games.
He said, “If the pitch is same in Chennai, which was used for IND vs AUS, then it’s understandable. But if there are a few changes, you can understand who is organizing the tournament. It is the ICC of BCCI?” However, it looks like it triggered a row on social media platforms.
Two different characteristic pitches at the same venue #Chennai. Sawal tou banta hai??? #CWC23 #GameOnHai pic.twitter.com/DOxTovr28T
— Mohammad Hafeez (@MHafeez22) October 13, 2023
Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra was up for it and retweeted. He elaborated that the different pitches in Chennai are made of different soils, which are red-ball and mixed. That is why they are playing differently.
Brother, the square at Chennai (and at many other stadia in India) have pitches made with different soil now. Red-Black and mixed. As you’d know…pitches made with different soil component will play differently. Therefore, don’t be surprised if the pitches behave radically… https://t.co/FNaM3cIghy
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) October 13, 2023
Well, it has become so common that a number of former cricketers have questioned the pitch condition in India. Even in test cricket, when teams struggle against spin, they question the pitch. Well, it has been a high-scoring tournament so far where teams have scored big totals. South Africa scored the highest total, and Pakistan chased down the highest total earlier in this tournament.
