"Fresh Wicket Or Old Wicket" - Mitchell Starc Mocks India, BCCI For Pitch Switching Controversy

Australian star pacer Mitchell Starc took a dig at the Indian Team ahead of the Final of the World Cup 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Australia reached the finals after beating South Africa in a tense, low-scoring semi-final chase at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Whereas, India thrashed New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai to make it 10 wins in a row and avenged their heart-wrenching loss against the Kiwis in the 2019 semi-final.

India and Australia will face each other in the finals of the ICC Cricket World Cup for the second time. The first time these two teams were in the finals was back in 2003 at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. The Ricky Ponting-led Australia dominated the World Cup and won the trophy while being unbeaten in the tournament. The Indian side was led by Sourav Ganguly.

This will also be the second time the two sides will face each other in a final of an ICC event this year. The two teams locked horns in the World Test Championship Final which took place earlier this year in June. Australia won the World Test Championship Final but India is the favourite to win the final of the World Cup in front of the home crowd.

Mitchell Starc Takes A Dig At BCCI And Team India For Pitch Swapping

Ahead of the final, Mitchell Starc trolled Team India and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on the ‘pitch swapping allegations.’ When asked if the Australian team was concerned about their struggles against spin bowling in the post-match press conference, the star Australian pacer 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.”

Just a few hours before the commencement of the semi-final clash between India and New Zealand, the British media alleged that there had been a pitch swap as the Indian team management wanted a slow surface. However, the match saw a total of 724 runs being scored on what was a complete batting track at Wankhede.

India has had a dream campaign in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. They have been undefeated in this World Cup with ten wins in a row. Australia on the other hand lost the first two encounters against India and South Africa respectively but have won 8 straight matches after that.