SACKED Lucknow Pitch Curator Changed Pitch Last-Minute After Team India Management Request – Report

Ind vs NZ: In what could be called a massive revelation, the sacked Lucknow pitch curator was asked to change the pitch last minute ahead of the second T20I between India and New Zealand.

Lucknow: In what could be called a massive revelation, the sacked Lucknow pitch curator was asked to change the pitch last minute ahead of the second T20I between India and New Zealand. Following the game at the Ekana stadium, India captain Hardik Pandya labeled the pitch as a ‘shocker’.

“According to the sources, the curator had prepared two black soil pitches for the game in advance. However, at the behest of a last-minute request from team management three days prior to the match, the curator had been asked to prepare a fresh pitch made of red soil instead. The new pitch could not be adequately prepared on short notice, and led to even slower conditions,” said the report on The Indian Express.

“A lot of domestic cricket was already played on all the centre wickets ahead of the T20I and the curator should have left one or two strips for an international game. The surface was overused and due to the bad weather, there was not enough (time) to prepare a fresh wicket,” a UPCA source told PTI.

It was a low-scoring affair in the second T20I. Not a single six was hit in the game and the bowlers dominated as strokeplay became extremely difficult for both sides. Eventually, India scraped through with a ball to spare. The hosts won the game by six wickets to level the series 1-1.

India will now take on New Zealand in Ahmedabad on Wednesday in the third and final T20I. It will be the decider and it is expected to be a humdinger.