Sri Lanka make official ICC complaint over quality of pitches and facilities

Ashantha de Mel, the team manager, has accused the sport’s global governing body of treating teams differently from one another, criticising pitches, practice facilities, transport and accommodation

Sri Lanka have made an official complaint to the ICC about the quality of pitches, practice facilities, transport and accommodation afforded to their squad.

Ashantha de Mel, the team manager, has accused the sport’s global governing body of treating teams differently from one another.

“This is a World Cup where the top ten countries are taking part and I feel that all the participants should be treated equally,” De Mel told Sri Lankan newspaper Daily News.

Sri Lanka were bowled out for 201 against Afghanistan and 136 against New Zealand on green pitches at Cardiff, while England then went on to score 386 at the same venue on a different-looking wicket against Bangladesh.

Sri Lanka face Australia on Saturday at The Oval, where Bangladesh and South Africa both scored more than 300 on a brown pitch earlier in the tournament. De Mel, however, was critical of the surface being prepared for Saturday’s clash.

^{Sri Lanka's last two games have been defeated by the weather.}

“The pitch being prepared for our match against Australia on Saturday here at The Oval is green. It is not sour grapes that we are complaining but it is very unfair on the part of the ICC that they prepare one type of wicket for certain teams and another type for others,” he added.

Of course, recent adverse weather conditions throughout the UK have meant that life has been difficult for the groundsmen at the 11 separate World Cup venues, with rain preventing much work from being done on the pitches.

The manager added that Sri Lanka’s team bus was more cramped than the double-decker vehicles provided to other teams. In addition, he criticised the net facilities at Cardiff as “unsatisfactory” and the squad’s hotel in Bristol, which lacks a swimming pool.

He added that the World Cup’s timing – in June rather than July – suggested that the ICC valued the Ashes more than the flagship one-day competition.

“What they should have done is played the Ashes series first,” he said. “Then the World Cup in the latter part of the summer which is generally dry. It seems like the Ashes has more clout than a World Cup.”

De Mel added that he was yet to receive a response from the ICC.

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