‘Indian conditions’ lie in wait for England, Afghanistan

England have been in this country for almost three weeks and for the first time they are about to encounter those oft?quoted “Indian conditions”.
In Mumbai there was green grass on the pitch; the ball hurried through nicely—for those with bats in their hands—and in the land of the spinner the ball seldom deviated a jot upon landing.
As Moeen Ali, who was still valuable to a frequently beleaguered fielding captain at the Wankhede Stadium, observed about this tournament: “There’s been some good pitches for spinners to bowl on. Every time Adil (Rashid) and I have watched the games we’ve been saying: ‘We’d love to be bowling on that pitch.’”
Moeen was referring to games in Nagpur, Kolkata, Dharamsala and Bangalore. But not those in Mumbai, where there might be a wet ball, no turn and enough bounce for avaricious batsmen to lever the ball over the boundary. Moeen is hoping and expecting that will change in Delhi. For certain there will be less bounce from the pitch and it is possible that the ball will turn. The par score will be considerable lower than in Mumbai.
Moeen and Rashid may well enjoy bowling here and there is the possibility that Liam Dawson, the Hampshire all-rounder catapulted into the squad at the 11th hour, might get a game alongside the other two spinners.
By the same token, the Afghanistan team will not be so disappointed by the likely conditions for today’s match.
They do not lack quality in the spin department. Mohamed Nabi, the off-spinner, is a wily old campaigner prepared to bowl the “difficult” overs in the powerplay and towards the end of the innings.
The 17-year-old leg-spinner Rashid Khan has enormous potential – and a good googly—even if he was smashed for 29 in an over by AB de Villiers on Sunday (he should have completed his spell by then).
And they have a competent left-armer in Amir Hanza as well as a makeshift wrist-spinner in Sami Shenwari.
So Delhi has true “Indian conditions” which may suit Afghanistan as well as Moeen and Rashid. Those conditions extend to a nagging uncertainty about the schedule for the remainder of the World T20.
Just before the tournament began—to the frustration of fans, media and players—there were doubts over whether the Feroz Kotla ground was fit to hold World T20 matches. These have resurfaced because one of the stands may be deemed unsafe and would therefore have to remain empty.
This would be an embarrassment for the International Cricket Council and the BCCI, especially in a prestigious semi-final, which is due to take place here on March 30. It would be equally embarrassing and logistically tricky to move that semi-final at such short notice. So the Indian adventure continues.