Today’s semi-final between New Zealand and India in the ongoing World Cup is causing controversy due to allegations that the BCCI changed the pitch for the Mumbai game without ICC permission. The ICC’s independent pitch consultant, Andy Atkinson, typically collaborates with the home board to decide on pitches. However, a Daily Mail report claims that the agreement was disregarded for the semi-final. Originally set for pitch seven, the game has been moved to pitch six due to an unspecified problem with pitch seven. Atkinson, frustrated by the lack of clear information, flew to Ahmedabad last Friday. The pitch rotation plan at Wankhede was 6-8-6-8-7, but so far, 6-8-6-8 has been used. In an email to the ICC, Atkinson questioned if this would be the first ICC CWC final with a pitch specifically chosen at the request of the home team’s management. However, the ICC stated that changes to pitch rotations are common at the end of such events. The alteration was made based on the venue curator’s recommendation, with the ICC independent pitch consultant informed and expressing confidence in the pitch’s quality.