ICC advices pitch curators to neutralize India's home advantage in ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 - Reports

ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 is scheduled to begin on 5th October at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has begun the final preparations for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup in India. In the last three editions of the World Cup, teams using their home advantage went on to lift the title. India in 2011, Australia in 2015, and then England in 2019 all of these teams won the championship in their backyard. Now the ICC steps in to try and minimize the home advantage in the ICC’s biggest event. ICC head curator Andy Atkinson has informed the World Cup venues curators to prepare pitches for the World Cup event, minimizing the home team advantage. India will host the World Cup 2023 around 10 venues in the country.

Atkinson held a meeting in Mumbai

Spinners are expected to make a huge purchase in Indian conditions. ICC chief curator Andy Atkinson recently held a meeting with the curators of all 12 venues in the World Cup (including warm-ups), suggesting they prepare surfaces to produce competitive results in the tournament. Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, Dharamshala, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, and Hyderabad are chosen as the main event venues, along with Guwahati and Trivandrum, which host the warm-up games. Recently, Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium was heavily criticized for producing low-scoring games.

A BCCI insider informed the Telegraph about the meeting and said, “The ICC head curator said the curators should try and make sure they are not pressured by the home team when it comes to pitch preparation. The focus should be on preparing a wicket that’s as sporting as possible, not something that favors the home side. The wicket will vary as the nature of the soil isn’t the same everywhere. But he wants tracks that promise games going the distance.” The 2011 World Cup saw competitive games played throughout the entire tournament. The 2015 World Cup saw mostly huge scores due to drop-in pitches.

The ICC Cricket World Cup is scheduled to begin on October 5 at Narendra Modi Cricket Stadium in Ahmedabad, when defending champion England will take on New Zealand. The warm-up games are set to begin on September 29th. Team India will take on England and the Netherlands in the warm-up before the main event. India will play England in Guwahati on September 30 and then the Netherlands on October 3 at Greenfield Stadium in Trivandrum. India’s official campaign will begin on October 8 against Australia at Chepauk Stadium in Chennai.

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