The ICC decided to change the pitch at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium before the India vs. New Zealand World Cup 2023 semi-final, but only after consulting with the ICC’s independent pitch consultant. The first semi-final is being held on a previously used pitch. As soon as the news broke, there was much debate about whether it was against the regulations for the venue curators to recommend a last-minute pitch change for an ICC event and if a fresh pitch should have been used for a huge match like a World Cup semi-final. In an official statement, the ICC dismissed the conspiracy theories, saying that “planned pitch rotations” are relatively “common” towards the end of such a big tournament.
An ICC spokesperson stated, “Changes to planned pitch rotations are common towards the end of an event of this length, and has already happened a couple of times.”
The statement further stated that the change was made based on the venue curator’s suggestion and approval from the ICC’s independent pitch consultant, Andy Atkinson.
“This change was made on the recommendation of the venue curator in conjunction with our host. The ICC independent pitch consultant was apprised of the change and has no reason to believe the pitch won’t play well,” the statement read.