MCC's Assistant curator Ashwin Tumu backs balanced track

The curator of Trent Bridge, Nottingham where the first Test was played, has been roundly criticised by the English media and players for providing a friendly strip to the visitors

London: The curator of Trent Bridge, Nottingham where the first Test was played, has been roundly criticised by the English media and players for providing a friendly strip to the visitors.


Assistant head curator Ashwin Tumu 

The debate now shifts to Lord's and everyone is curious to know how the wicket here will respond when the two teams face-off in the second Test. All the groundsmen are tight-lipped about the track, but mid-day has identified a person who actually knows the Lord's wicket closely.

Ashwin Tumu, a Hyderabad based club cricketer, is the assistant head curator at MCC. He feels there will be an interesting contest at Lord's after the rather forgettable first Test. "We have prepared a typical Lord's wicket.

Our ground chief Mick Hunt has taken care of each and every aspect of the pitch. We just had a game here where MCC played Rest of the World XI on 5th July. That match was a high scoring affair. Hopefully the Test too will see something similar," Ashwin said.

Things will be better
In the last Test played here, Sri Lanka battled to save the game. Even then, critics had come down heavily on the way the wicket had behaved. But MCC groundsmen are pretty sure that things will be better this time around.

"The weather will play a crucial role. With temperatures likely to touch 30 degrees on the first two days, the pitch is likely to assist pace bowlers," Ashwin explained.

He has been working here for the last five years. He said proudly: "It's a matter of pride when we have to prepare a wicket for the Indian team. Our focus all the time is to prepare a good Test wicket and then enjoy the performances."

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