Ashes 2023: "It Should Be Left To The Curator" - Ian Chappell Lashes Out At Ben Stokes For Wanting Flat Tracks

Former Australian captain Ian Chappell believes that England’s decision to prepare flat tracks may backfire against them in the upcoming Ashes series. Ian Chappell said that curators shouldn’t be forced to prepare the pitch, which favours the home side.

England will host the much-anticipated Ashes 2023 series in June and July this year. The first Test will be played at Edgbaston in Birmingham starting on Friday, June 16. The pitch looks brown from the images that were circulated across the social media platforms.

ICC World Test Championship Final | Dream11 Prediction | Fantasy Cricket Tips | Cricket Match Prediction Today | Cricket News | Cricket Live Score | Asia Cup 2023 | ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 | IND vs AFG 2023 | IND vs WI 2023

Ian Chappell said that the captain shouldn’t be involved in pitch preparation, noting Ben Stokes’ statement about wanting flat tracks in the tournament.

“The first question I’d ask is why is a captain, or anybody for that matter, other than the curator – or head groundsman as they call them in England – why is it up to anybody else to decide what sort of pitch you’re using? It should be left to the curator,” said Chappell on Wide World of Sports’ Outside The Rope.

Also read: IND vs WI: “India Will Have To Play Fearless Cricket” – Wasim Jaffer Expects Youngsters Can Get A Chance In India’s Tour Of West Indies

“And I know for a fact that when I was the captain if I had gone to any curator in Australia and said ‘I want this sort of pitch’ I would have been told to bugger off and mind my own business, which is quite the correct answer.

“I don’t know why they want (flat pitches). Obviously, Stokes has got a reason for wanting that sort of pitch. We’ll find out if he’s right by the end of July.”

ICC World Test Championship Final | WTC Final 2023 | IND vs AUS 2023 | India National Cricket Team | IND vs AFG 2023 | IND vs WI 2023 | Asia Cup 2023 | ICC World Cup 2023

We Want Fast, Flat Wickets – Ben Stokes

Earlier in April, England captain Ben Stokes said that he wanted “fast, flat” wickets to maximize their “Bazball” style of batting in the marquee event.

“We’ve been very clear, especially with the ground staff around England, about what type of wickets we want. And they’ve been very responsive to us which has been good,” Ben Stokes said.

Also read: Ashes 2023: “It Shows Good Faith In The England Selectors” – Doug Bollinger On James Anderson And Stuart Broad’s Inclusion For The First Test

“We want fast, flat wickets. We want to go out there and score quickly. It brings their [Australia’s] guys in, if they’ve got fast wickets to bowl on then they’ll be happy with that as well,” he added.

Also read: Ashes 2023: “I’ll Be Guided Mainly By My Body” – Pat Cummins Hopes To Play All Five Test Matches Against England

Virat Kohli | Rohit Sharma | Rishabh Pant | KL Rahul | Suryakumar Yadav | Sanju Samson | Shreyas Iyer | Yuzvendra Chahal | Jasprit Bumrah