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Ahmedabad, Oct 22: South Africa today attacked the Brabourne Stadium pitch in Mumbai once again, saying one-day cricket could not afford a track that behaved so differently in the two sessions. "In one-day cricket, you cannot have a game of two halves. You cannot have a pitch which behaves decently in the first 50 overs and then behaves poorly in the other half," South Africa coach Mickey Arthur told mediapersons here.
South Africa had gone down to unfancied New Zealand on a dustbowl of a track to start their ICC Champions Trophy campaign on the wrong note. The Brabourne pitch has also been criticised by other captains for its uneven and unpredictable bounce and the slowness of the track. After drawing flak all-round, the authorities at Brabourne used glue to tighten the grip of the wicket.
Arthur said, "unfortunately, it (use of glue) happened after our match. It was the way the pitch behaved in the second innings of our game against the Kiwis that prompted the decision". The coach also conceded that it would have benefited his side if it had opted to bat first on the wicket.
"After winning the toss we squandered the advantage by deciding to field. We probably should have batted. But we had gone in with all the local info about the ground," said the 38-year-old coach. (Agencies)
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