Former England captain Michael Vaughan slammed the International Cricket Council (ICC) for allowing India to get away with poor pitches after the recent day-night Test finished within two days at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday (February 25).
The debate over the Motera pitch has intensified over the last couple days with the former England cricketers likes of Vaughan, David Lloyd, Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen and others blasting the pitch after the third Test saw 30 wickets falling during the course of two days.
On the spin-friendly surface, India spinners R Ashwin and Akshar Patel wrecked havoc on English batting line-up to beat the tourists by 10-wickets in the pink ball Test and take a 2-1 lead in the ongoing four-match Test series in Ahmedabad and Vaughan termed India’s win as “shallow”.
Amid the pitch debate, Vaughan slammed the BCCI and ICC over “awful” pitch for the recent day-night Test, saying the governing body will look “toothless” till the time it allows “powerful countries” like India to “produce whatever they wish” and due to which the “Test cricket is getting hurt”.
Vaughan wrote in the Daily Telegraph: “The longer powerful countries like India are allowed to get away with it the more toothless the ICC will look. The governing body is allowing India to produce whatever they wish and it is Test cricket that is getting hurt.”
He further wrote, “Perhaps it will take broadcasters to ask for refunds for things to change. They accept Test finishing early because the players are not good enough, but not when home boards produce such poor pitches. They are left with three blank days, but are still having to pay for production. They will not be happy and might think twice about good money for Test rights.”
According to the 45-year-old, there was no winner of the third Test in Ahmedabad, though, he said the hosts were brilliant in the day-night Test as compared to the touring side.
He continued, “India won the third Test but it was shallow victory. In fact, there were no winners of that game at all. Yet, India showed their skill. We are not being fair if we do not accept that their skill levels in those conditions are far better than England's. But the good of the game needs to be looked at and as ex-players it is our duty to call it out.”
Vaughan also blamed England's rotational policy for their poor show against Team India, saying they deserved to be in the position they are in at the moment.
He signed off by saying, “The disregard they showed by sending Jonny Bairstow home to walk his dogs for two weeks and then go back and bat at three against Ravi Ashwin has bitten them on the backside.”
(With PTI Inputs)
