India will host the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 in the months of October-November in which dew might play a major role. As per the sources, the International Cricket Council (ICC) have demanded pace-friendly pitches from the Indian curators so as to keep the toss out of the equation in the marquee tournament.
The idea is to keep the toss out of the equation: Sources
According to the sources, the ICC has asked curators to leave as much grass as possible on the pitches. This will ensure that the seamers stay in the game and toss doesn’t play a major role in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023.
“Venues in the northern, western and eastern states of India are likely to witness heavy dew at this time of year. Matches in Chennai and maybe Bengaluru are likely to see a decent amount of rain. The main idea is to keep the toss out of the equation as much as possible,” a source told TOI.
“Dew largely impacts the performance of spinners. With more grass, teams will not have to depend as much on spinners. That will also help in having true surfaces. And ODI games don’t need to see very high scores to be interesting,” the source further added.
Boundaries should be kept more than 70 metres: Sources
“The minimum size of boundaries for international matches is 65 metres and maximum is 85 metres. The old centres have a boundary size of around 70-75 metres. It has been suggested that boundaries should be kept more than 70 metres,” the source told about the boundary size during the World Cup.
“The Indian cricket board (BCCI) has also directed curators to use a wetting agent that has been standardized by the board and ICC. Most venues these days use similar wetting agents. But now the board has directed every centre to not use any other wetting agent than what has been prescribed,” the source added.
It’s worth noting that the 2021 T20 World Cup too was heavily affected by dew and team batting second had a significant advantage. The ICC is focusing on making the toss a less significant factor this time.
Leaving more grass on the pitches might reduce the home advantage for the Men in Blue as spinners might become less effective due to the excess grass. The participating teams will be keen to include more seamers in their playing XI.
Meanwhile, the Indian team will play their first game in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 on October 8. This game will be played in Chennai where spinners will certainly play a key role.
