There was controversy before the Cricket World Cup semi-final between India and New Zealand. Accusations were made that the pitch was swapped at the last minute. India prevailed in the highly-scoring contest.. In the other semi-final between Australia and South Africa, a used pitch was used. Australia won by a small margin, and after the game, Mitchell Starc made a cheeky comment about the pitch for the final.

Australia didn’t perform well while chasing 213 runs. Starc was asked if he was concerned about the final, given the nature of the run-chase. He humorously replied, “I guess we’ll find out when we get to Ahmedabad tomorrow and see if it’s a fresh wicket or an old wicket.”

In the press conference, Starc talked about the pitch at the Eden Gardens. He mentioned it was a bare wicket and might have been tougher for batting initially. Despite acknowledging the inconsistent tempo, he gave the squad credit for their performance, particularly for the power play.

When asked if it was surprising to play on a pitch that didn’t showcase the one-day game in a tournament where many runs were scored, Starc admitted he’s not an expert in reading pitches. He noted that the practice wicket turned a lot, and the used pitch might explain the surprising seam movement. Despite the surprises, he suggested that sometimes it’s nice to see the ball dominate the bat.