ICC Head Curator Andy Atkinson to Address Curators of Cricket World Cup 2023 Venues, Likely to Suggest Preparation of Batting Friendly Pitches For Commerical Purpose: Report

India are all set to host the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in October-November. The preparations are at it's final stages and the revised schedule of the World Cup has also been released. Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Dharmsala, Delhi, Lucknow and Pune are the venues across which the World Cup will be played. The iconic India vs Pakistan match will be hosted at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, while the semifinals of the prestigious competition is set to be hosted by the heritage filled Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The final will again return to the Narendra Modi Stadium. As the final set of preparations undergo, pitches of several venues has been re-laid too. Report suggest that the curators of all the ten venues will meet ICC head curator Andy Atkinson on Wednesday. ‘One Thing I Want in This Team Is To Make Sure Everyone Is Okay To Bat Anywhere’ Says Rohit Sharma Following India’s Asia Cup 2023 Squad Announcement.

According to a report by the Telegraph, the curators of all the 10 venues scheduled to host the ODI World Cup games will assemble in Mumbai on Wednesday, where they are set to be addressed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) head curator Andy Atkinson. Even the curators of the centres staging the warm-up matches of this World Cup will be present at the meeting. Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram, along with Hyderabad, are the centres for the warm-up fixtures that begin from September 29.

“It’s a norm to have such a meeting before every big tournament. The one on Wednesday will be kind of a seminar where the ICC head curator is expected to give a few of his inputs and suggestions to the curators of the venues that are hosting the World Cup matches as well as the warm-up games,” a BCCI source told The Telegraph on Sunday.

“Keeping matters such as television viewership in mind, they usually suggest pitches that will yield more runs with not too much of movement or assistance for the bowlers. Curators could also be asked to keep a certain amount of grass content on the pitches so that they don’t crumble later in the month-and-a-half-long competition,” another BCCI insider said. Besides, the number of practice wickets that each centre requires, together with the amount of rolling and watering every wicket needs will be spoken about,” the insider added. HCA Requests Change in Rescheduled ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 Fixtures, Wants to Avoid Consecutive Matches Due to Security Reasons.

BCCI chief curator Ashish Bhowmick is also expected to be present at the meeting. Later, ICC chief curator Atkinson is also likely to visit each of the venues to oversee the preparation of the pitch and the outfield.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 21, 2023 11:59 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).