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Meet Lee Fortis, The Oval Pitch Curator Involved In Heated Spat With Gautam Gambhir

Akshita Patel

Lee Fortis in heated spat with Gautam Gambhir [Source: @WG_RumblePants/X.com]Lee Fortis in heated spat with Gautam Gambhir [Source: @WG_RumblePants/X.com]

On Tuesday, July 29, Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir had a heated confrontation with The Oval pitch curator Lee Fortis. The clash reportedly happened after Fortis stopped the visitors from assessing the pitch, and the foul language used led to a full-blown verbal altercation.

According to India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak, Fortis asked Gambhir and his staff to keep a strict 2.5-meter distance from the main pitch square, a level of restriction seen as unusually harsh.

The situation escalated when Fortis loudly admonished support staff for placing an ice box near the playing surface. That’s when Gambhir snapped, responding, “You don’t tell us what to do. You’re just a groundsman; stay in your capacity.”

Who Is Lee Fortis?

Lee Fortis has served as Surrey’s head of ground staff since 2012, taking over from Bill Gordon after years as an assistant. He is the lead pitch curator who looks after conditions before any game.

Fortis is widely recognised for preparing some of county cricket’s finest Test pitches and has been honoured with the England & Wales Cricket Board’s Grounds Manager of the Year award 4 times, including 3 consecutive wins from 2022 to 2024.

Besides, he also managed the Honourable Artillery Company ground in the city of London in his early days. Hence, Fortis is not a amateur and has been in this business for over a decade.

Fan tweet [Source: @MeruBhaiya/X.com]Fan tweet [Source: @MeruBhaiya/X.com]

Interestingly, Fortis reportedly has a reputation for being hostile to visiting teams. According to rumours, he had a similar heated incident with the Indian Women’s cricket team when they played the 3rd T20I against England Women at The Oval earlier this month.

Sitanshu Kotak also revealed in his press conference that he had prior knowledge of Lee Fortis’ attitude and antics. However, while Kotak tried to douse the fire as mediator, Gautam Gambhir was agitated over the alleged use of foul language towards his men.

He fired a stern warning at Fortis not to disrespect his coaching staff and stay within his limits. As for now, neither the Indian team nor the Surrey staff has lodged an official complaint over misconduct.