India vs Australia 2017: BCCI claims Pune pitch wasn’t poor

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has cleared things out to the International Cricket Council (ICC) by dismissing match referee Chris Broad’s report that the pitch in Pune for the first Test between India and Australia was poor. Broad declared the dry deck prepared for the first Test between Australia and India was “poor” in his report. Basis this report, the International Cricket Council (ICC) sought a response from the Indian cricket board. The Test finished inside three days with left-arm spinner Steve O’ Keefe finishing with 12 wickets for 70 runs. Following the game, Broad submitted his report to the International Cricket Council (ICC), expressing concern over the quality of the pitch that was criticised by many former cricketers. “Broad, in accordance with Clause 3 of the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process, submitted his report to the ICC in which he expressed concern over the quality of the pitch,” the ICC said in a statement. But in its response, the BCCI beg to differ with Broad and objected the claim. “That wasn’t a poor pitch. The Aussies scored 260 and 285 on it, after all. The definition of a poor pitch is that there’s uneven bounce, and batsmen are getting hurt. Did that happen in Pune? “I agree the match ended early, India scored few runs (105 and 107), but Steve Smith scored a ton in the second innings, and KL Rahul scored a fifty. If a pitch doesn’t turn in the sub-continent, then where will it? We beg to differ… this isn’t a poor track. We disagree with Broad’s observation on the pitch. To term the Pune wicket as poor is harsh,” a BCCI official told TOI. Previously, Indian opener Murali Vijay also rejected match referee Chris Broad’s assessment of the pitch in Pune, saying cricketers “need to play on such wickets at times”. It’s pertinent to note that, Pune’s Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium was hosting it’s first ever Test cricket, and the nature in which the pitch behaved, invited lots of criticism. Also, the BCCI has countered the ICC by putting up a strong argument that it is only the Indian pitches that comes under scrutiny. It also thinks that this is a plan to keep India away from their “home advantage”.