Mumbai pitch complaint reaches ICC

Cricket Australia has lodged a complaint to the ICC over the Mumbai pitch for the fourth Test against India last month to prevent the production of similar surfaces. Forty wickets fell in three days as India achieved a 13-run victory, but James Sutherland, the CA chief executive, and Ricky Ponting complained to Ranjan Madugalle, the match referee, before play on the third morning.

"It's not all about Mumbai - that's gone," Sutherland told the Sydney Morning Herald. "It's more that we should all recognise that we are not only in the sport industry but also in the entertainment industry, and there is a need to provide the best possible conditions for Test cricket to be played in."

CA said pitches could be prepared to reflect local conditions but the Mumbai surface, which dramatically favoured the spinners, was over the top. An ICC spokesman said the issue was addressed in post-match reports, but Sutherland will consider raising the matter at the ICC chief executive's meeting in Melbourne in February.