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The International Cricket Council (ICC) has come out and cleared the air about the semifinal between hosts India and New Zealand in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 being played on a fresh pitch at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday in Mumbai.
The build-up to the semi-final between India and New Zealand has been tarnished by speculation that an old pitch will be used instead of a new one. Several overseas media claimed that the ICC independent pitch consultant, Andy Atkinson, who works alongside local groundstaff, was unhappy with the shift of pitches. As per ESPNcricinfo, the match is being played on Pitch No. 6 which has already hosted two matches in the tournament. The pitch was used for the league-stage matches between South Africa and Bangladesh, as well as India versus Sri Lanka. However, after the semi-final had begun, the ICC released a statement stating that the changes were not unusual. "Changes to planned pitch rotations are common towards the end of an event of this length and has already happened a couple of times. This change was made on the recommendation of the venue curator in conjunction with our host. The ICC independent pitch consultant was apprised of the change and has no reason to believe the pitch won't play well," ICC stated as per ESPNcricinfo. The Wankhede Stadium has hosted notoriously high-scoring four matches in the ongoing World Cup. Talking about the match, opted to bat first India captain Rohit Sharma gave the hosts a fiery start as he took on Trent Boult in the very first over with a couple of streaky fours. India kept going at an aggressive pace in the first 10 overs, however, Rohit lofted a slower ball from Tim Southee high in the air over mid-off, where Kane Williamson took a stunning catch. Shubman Gill picked up cramps in the 23rd over and had to leave the pitch, unbeaten on 79. Runs kept flowing for India as the hosts scored 220/1 in under 30 overs in the semifinal match against New Zealand with Virat Kohli (69) and Shreyas Iyer (20) unbeaten at the crease. (ANI)
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