Indian groundsman replaced after shocker cricket pitch

Ag AFP

NEW DELHI: A cricket stadium in India has replaced its chief groundsman after players and pundits complained about a “shocker” pitch at a recent international against New Zealand, an official said on Tuesday.

The low-scoring T20 match saw India reach the modest target of 100 with one ball and six wickets to spare at Lucknow’s Ekana stadium on Sunday.

It witnessed 30 overs of spin without a single six being hit in either innings, a highly unusual tally in the normally big-hitting format of the sport where pace bowling is used heavily. “To be honest, it was a shocker of a wicket,” India skipper Hardik Pandya said.