A pitch brouhaha is brewing in Sydney in the lead-up to the World Cup semi-final between Australia and India.
But despite the sight of International Cricket Council pitch consultant Andy Atkinson inspecting the wicket alongside SCG curator Tom Parker on Monday, this has all the makings of a storm in a teacup.
In recent days, Australians Josh Hazlewood and Glenn Maxwell both voiced their hopes for an SCG strip with a fair bit of spice in it.
Throw in captain Michael Clarke's words that a wicket with a bit of grass on it would "certainly help our fast bowlers" and a handful of Indian press outlets have put two and two together.
"Their demands are not going to be met. The World Cup is organised by the International Cricket Council ... there is no scope for tampering," wrote one journalist in Indian broadsheet Daily News and Analysis.
There was a green tinge to the wicket on Monday, but it's not expected to remain that way come Thursday.
Atkinson was unwilling to comment on Monday, but it's understood Parker is being afforded the same freedom he has enjoyed since being put in charge of the SCG pitch in 1997.
"That's the first I've heard of that and I haven't seen the wicket," a confused James Faulkner said on Monday, when asked about Atkinson.
Atkinson liaises with local groundsmen whenever the ICC stages a tournament.
"I work in collaboration ... I am not there to step on people's toes," the Essex-born official said in an interview with industry website pitchcare.com.
Parker is actually far from Cricket Australia's favourite curator at the moment.
This year's Test between India and Australia was a drawn run-fest, while coach Darren Lehmann was stunned the previous year when England were skittled in three days.
"How do you reckon I would assess it? Words will get me in trouble here. It's disappointing," Lehmann said at the time.
The pitch being used for Thursday's semi-final is the same strip that Imran Tahir spun South Africa to victory on in last week's quarter-final.
