Who is Lee Fortis? The Oval curator’s heated exchange with Gambhir grabs headlines ahead of 5th Test

The stage is set at The Oval as India will take on England in the fifth and final match of the ongoing Test series. India salvaged a draw in the fourth Test in Manchester, keeping the series alive. Now, trailing the series 1-2, the visitors will look to put up a strong show to win the game and draw the series 2-2.

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But ahead of the vital Test, The Oval’s head groundsman, Lee Fortis, has become the talk of the town after he got involved in a heated argument with Team India head coach Gautam Gambhir during the team’s first training session.

The incident began when Fortis instructed the Indian team to maintain a distance of two and a half meters from the wicket during their inspection. It did not go well with Gambhir, as he shouted: “You don’t tell us what we need to do.” Fortis was then seen threatening to report Gambhir to the ICC match referee, as the clip went viral on social media platforms.

When Team India’s batting coach Sitanshu Kotak was asked about the incident during a press conference, he said: “When we went to see the wicket, coaches were standing there and then he (curator) sent a man asking us to stay two-and-a-half-metre away from the wicket, which was little surprising because on a cricket wicket, which is hosting five-day match a day after and we were standing there wearing joggers. So that was a little awkward.”

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However, this is not the first time Fortis has found himself in a controversy. Since 2012, he has been serving as Surrey’s Head of Ground Staff. Before that, he worked as an assistant groundsman at The Oval until 2006. Later, he managed the Honourable Artillery Company's ground in London.

Despite the occasional flashpoint, Fortis has a good reputation for producing exceptional pitches. He won the Bernard Flack Memorial Trophy for the best multi-day pitches at the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Grounds Manager of the Year Awards in 2024—his third consecutive win and fourth overall. 

The Grounds Management Association also praised Fortis and his team for their “consistently outstanding marks” for County Championship and Test pitches during the 2024 season.

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However, several reports recently suggested that he had a clash with the Indian women’s cricket team during a match at The Oval. Even before the 2023 WTC Final, he reportedly had an interaction with Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, which hinted at earlier tensions over inconsistent bounce on practice pitches.

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