Ian Healy has slammed curators at Nagpur’s VCA Stadium after reports emerged of ground staff scuppering Australia’s plans to practice on the wicket following the disastrous first Test loss to India.
With the match lasting just three days, Australia reportedly requested and were granted permission to use the pitch to practice on what would have played as a day four surface.
After confirming plans for training, The Sydney Morning Herald’s Andrew Wu reported that ground staff watered the track and the stadium’s nets, forcing Australia to cancel their session.
Healy described those actions as both pathetic and embarrassing as life has again been made hard for the touring side.
“I think it’s a pathetic effort,” Healy said on SENQ Breakfast.
“It’s really embarrassing the scuppering of our plans to get some practice sessions on that Nagpur wicket.
“That’s not good, that’s just not good for cricket.”
Healy even called for the ICC to step in so that touring teams receive ideal conditions when reasonably requested.
“The ICC needs to step in here and say, ‘Our nations need to trust each other must better, if you request certain conditions to practice and prepare on, you must get them’,” Healy said.
“For them to water the wicket unceremoniously when it was requested for practice is horrible and that has to improve.”
Australia will hope to get some quality practice in ahead of the second Test in Delhi which begins on Friday (AEDT).