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New Delhi: With nearly two weeks to go for IPL, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has given approval to Delhi's Ferozeshah Kotla for the Twenty20 event.
In his report, after inspecting the Kotla pitches on February 14 and 15, ICC pitch consultant Andy Atkinson has acknowledged the significant improvement in condition of the pitch. However, according to him, the Kotla pitch is still not good for "longer versions of the game".
Which means the pitch is only fit for T20 and not for ODIs and Test matches. "The present condition of the pitch block is not ideal, but there has been enough recovery of the grasses and adequate leveling of the surface to give the curator something to work with for the IPL matches," Atkinson says in his report.
Atkinson has also given support to BCCI's ground and pitch committee chairman Daljit Singh for the steps he took to make the pitch playable. He has put the blame at DDCA's doorsteps for the fiasco.
"The decision to use Perennial Rye grass was the only option left at a very late stage in an attempt to obtain some grass cover for the ODI on the 27th December and was recommended by Daljit Singh quite correctly.
Unfortunately the then local authority of DDCA did not agree and went ahead and planted some local Cynodon grass, creating damage to the surface levels in doing so," Atkinson added.
