Oval Pitch Curator Lee Fortis Under Fire for Pitch Bias Ahead of India vs England 5th Test

The controversy continues as Oval Pitch Curator Lee Fortis faces further heat on social media after new pictures of him standing with Ollie Pope, Joe Root, and Brendon McCullum while accessing the pitch surfaced online and spread like wildfire, with fans questioning his ethics ahead of the 5th Test.

Gambhir-Fortis Spat Goes Viral as Fans Slam Curator’s Double Standards

Fans on social media questioned his biased nature towards the home team—allowing them to access the centre of the pitch while denying India the same and asking them to stay behind the 2.5-metre mark.

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The video of Indian coach Gautam Gambhir’s verbal confrontation with Lee Fortis went viral on the internet. At first, many believed it was typical of Gambhir’s nature to argue for something he wants. But once India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak cleared the air during a press conference, explaining what exactly happened, fans grew unhappy with the curator’s behaviour and apparent bias.

“When we went to see the wicket, they sent someone to tell us to stay 2.5 metres away from the pitch, which was a little surprising,” Kotak said at the press conference.

 “It's a cricket wicket; there's a five-day Test starting the day after, and we were wearing joggers. So it was a bit awkward. We all know that curators are a little overprotective… but at the end of the day, it's a cricket pitch, not an antique that you can't touch.”

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McCullum and his men's Photo Adds Fuel as ECB Remains Silent Ahead of Final Test

The issue escalated further on Wednesday morning when Brendon McCullum, England’s head coach, was spotted speaking with Fortis while standing in the centre of the pitch. Then few hours later on the same day, photos of England players accessing the surface emerged, intensifying the backlash and raising more questions about Fortis’s impartiality ahead of the Oval Test.

However, the ECB has yet to respond. With less than 24 hours remaining before the fifth and final Test of the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy, this controversy has dominated social media since Tuesday.

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