The pitch at the R. Premadasa Stadium, triggered a debate here on Saturday.
The International Cricket Council CEO Dave Richardson termed the wicket for the ICC World Twenty20 semifinal between Sri Lanka and Pakistan as ‘not ideal.’
“The pitch used in the first semifinal wasn’t an ideal wicket for T20 as there was too much assistance to spinners. There was advantage for both teams and the Sri Lankan spinners took better advantage of the situation.
“Having said that, I spoke to the curator and he said the wicket was too dry.
“You have to accept that in this hot climate, preparing a wicket is incredibly difficult,” Richardson said.
Richardson’s comment drew a sharp retort from the host skipper Mahela Jayawardene.
“The ICC controls the wickets. They (ICC) schedule the matches on each strip. I don’t know what Richardson is talking about.
“Pakistan has one of the three best spinners in world cricket in (Shahid) Afridi, (Saeed) Ajmal and (Mohammad) Hafeez. When they have that kind of quality spinners why would you want to prepare a wicket to suit them?
“I had two spinners in my team — Rangana (Herath) and Ajantha (Mendis). It was an even contest,” said the Sri Lankan captain.
