The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has on Wednesday (June 16) apologized for not being able to provide a fresh pitch for the one-off Test match between England Women and India Women starting on Wednesday at the County Ground in Bristol.
The Indian women’s cricket team and England are forced to play on a used pitch in Bristol, where 37 overs were already played between Gloucestershire and Sussex during a Vitality T20 Blast fixture last Friday.
ECB’s statement came after England women’s cricket captain Heather Knight has expressed her disappointment over getting a used surface for the one-off Test against India.
According to a report in Cricbuzz, ECB stated: “We are all disappointed that the wicket for the LV= Insurance Test match against India will have had 37 overs played on it. We know that England Women deserve a fresh wicket and we are sorry that we were unable to provide that in this instance.”
The board added, “With the Test only being added to the calendar in mid-April, coupled with the lack of available first-class grounds, we knew a fresh TV pitch was going to be a challenge. We accept that this issue shouldn't have arisen and we will make sure it doesn't happen in the future.”
Meanwhile, former England cricketer Alex Hartley has also criticized ECB for offering a used pitch for the Test match on social media, as England is set to play a home Test for the first time in nearly two years.
However, India Women captain Mithali Raj didn’t comment on the pitch, as she chose to focus on “thought process and strategies” as the girls set to sport Test whites for the first time since 2014.
Raj said in her virtual press conference before the one-off Test: “We're here to play a match. Whatever strip we get, we try and get a result out of it.”
She concluded, “That's our thought process. Whether it is a used wicket or a fresh wicket... as players, and a captain I definitely want my team to get a result and for that, it is important that we put down our strategies accordingly.”
(With Cricbuzz Inputs)
