Hidden behind the battle of the 10 competing teams in this year’s cricket World Cup, there is another competition brewing among the pitch curators of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). BCCI’s chief curator Ashish Bhowmick proudly revealed, “We have a competition among ourselves about which venue can produce the best matches.”
Ashish, who has been the BCCI’s chief curator since 2019, is leading a team of fifteen curators working diligently to prepare the ten venues for the upcoming World Cup. Their primary goal is to prepare pitches that facilitate high-scoring matches, also known as run-fests.
While Ashish remains tight-lipped about specific details due to ICC’s code of conduct and BCCI’s restrictions, it is evident that the World Cup in India, to be held in October-November, will witness high-scoring encounters. He mentioned that during the last IPL (Indian Premier League) season, teams scored 200 runs or more in a match 37 times, showcasing the Indian curators’ level of expertise.
When asked about the preparations for the World Cup, Ashish stated, “It won’t be right to say something like that about the wickets in the World Cup. But if you’ve seen the pitches in the recent international matches in India, the wickets in the World Cup will be similar. More than 300 runs should be scored in both innings of the match. The wickets will be like that in all 10 venues in the World Cup.”
The recent IPL season serves as a hint for the expected behavior of the wickets in the World Cup. Ashish mentioned that the last edition was the best among all 15 seasons of the IPL in terms of the number of runs scored, with teams frequently reaching 200 or more runs in a match.
BCCI has emphasized preparing batting-friendly pitches for the World Cup, and the ICC has a preference for such wickets in white-ball cricket. This aligns with Bangladesh’s preparation for the tournament as well, where they played on batting-friendly pitches even at home during series against Ireland and Afghanistan.
Ashish believes that the Assam Cricket Association’s Dr. Bhupen Hazarika Cricket Stadium, where Bangladesh will play two practice matches before the World Cup, offers the best possible preparation for the Bangladesh team in a World Cup expected to be a run-fest.
While the wickets may favor the batters, Ashish clarifies that there will still be something for the pacers, making the bowling attack a critical factor in the matches. Spinners might face some challenges, but they won’t be the deciding factor on these pitches.
With Ashish and his team working hard to prepare good wickets for the World Cup, it is clear that high-scoring and exciting matches are on the horizon.
