India may not have to struggle against sluggish, worn-out tracks for their Champions Trophy league fixtures in Dubai, since two fairly new 22-yard strips have been kept in reserve for the side.
The most popular side globally in international cricket, India will host all three group-stage fixtures at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium (DICS)—against Bangladesh on February 20, Pakistan on February 23, and New Zealand on March 2.
The DICS has been witness to heavy cricketing action in recent months, hosting the Women's T20 World Cup in the past year, after which came the men's U-19 Asia Cup and Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) flagship ILT20 league.
Throughout the ILT20, the stadium hosted 15 games, two of which were knockout matches. Nonetheless, it has been confirmed that two pitches were left unused throughout the 13 league-stage matches so that they would be in the best possible condition for the ICC Champions Trophy.
“There are 10 match strips at the DICS. During the league stage, there was specific instructions that those two won’t be used now and needed to be kept fresh for the Champions Trophy,” a source in the know of things told PTI.
“However whether any of the two was used for the play-offs isn’t known. The idea is to ensure that it doesn’t become low and slow after over-use and matches become drag. The fresh pitches will aid the batters and bowlers in equal measure.” Traditionally, the Dubai track has witnessed pacers taking plenty of wickets but this time, the spinners who bowl at a quickish pace could hold the key.
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