The ICC checked out the Ahmedabad pitch and called World Cup Final Pitch as “Average”.
The ICC updated its ratings for pitches and fields. They flagged eight World Cup matches at five Indian spots, including five of India’s games, as pretty average.
That final showdown on November 19 went down on the same pitch where India and Pakistan clashed five weeks earlier.
They picked it based on Andy Atkinson’s advice, the ICC’s pitch expert. Both games got tagged with an “average” rating for the pitch.
Eden Gardens got the most “average” marks, bagging five in total.
The pitch at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, where India and New Zealand had their semi-final, got a “good” rating.
There were worries about the pitch changing from fresh to used before the match, but it didn’t slow things down. Both teams scored big – 724 runs and three centuries, with just one wicket lost to spin.
The ICC uses six ratings – very good, good, average, below average, poor, and unfit – for rating pitches and outfields in international games.
Rahul Dravid, India’s head coach, wasn’t on board with the two “average” ratings given to India’s games in Chennai (against Australia) and Ahmedabad (against Pakistan). He pushed for more variety in what’s seen as “good” or “very good” pitches.
The outfields mostly got a thumbs-up from the ICC, except for Dharamsala, which got an “average” for four of its five hosted games. Players weren’t happy with the field, citing uneven grass and a sandy base that made diving risky.
The Dharamsala venue even had an India vs Australia Test moved elsewhere earlier in the year due to the field’s condition.
But things took a turn for the better for Dharamsala in its last World Cup game between Australia and New Zealand on October 28, scoring a “perfect” rating.
Pune’s MCA Stadium got an “average” mark for the outfield, but only for the India vs Bangladesh match on October 19.