T20 World Cup: ‘Dangerous’ pitch has connection with Australia, ICC in damage control mode before IND-PAK match

New Delhi. The T20 World Cup 2024, being co-hosted by the US and West Indies, is in the news for reasons other than the results of the matches. The low scores in most of the dozen matches of the tournament so far and the ‘uneven bounce’ of the New York wicket have shifted the focus from the performance of the teams/players to the ‘nature’ of the pitch. Talking about the pitch of New York’s Nassau County International Stadium, it would be appropriate to put it in the category of ‘dangerous’ rather than ‘sporting’. Out of the three matches played here so far, two have not only been low-scoring, but during this time the ball has bounced dangerously and hit the helmets of the batsmen many times. Some batsmen also got injured. Many experts are targeting the ICC, considering this pitch unfit for hosting an international match, let alone a T20 World Cup. Former cricketers have also considered the New York wicket ‘shameful’.

T20 cricket is considered a batsman’s game but it did not seem so in New York. It would have been fine if the wicket had helped the bowlers but the irregular bounce of the ball has increased the chances of batsmen getting injured. During the India vs Ireland match, some batsmen from both the teams got injured and Rohit Sharma had to retire after a ball from Josh Little hit his/her shoulder. The pitch of other venues was not dangerous but felt ‘slow’ and ‘double paced’. In such a situation, the fans expecting a ‘run feast’ have been disappointed so far. Probably for this reason, the atmosphere for the T20 World Cup has not been fully created so far. A score of 200+ has not been made in any match of the tournament so far. Not only this, the number of matches with a score of 150+ is also less.

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Australian curator prepared the pitches of New York

Amidst the struggle of the batsmen and the ‘drought’ of runs in the tournament, the pitch of New York has proved to be ‘disappointing’. Let us tell you, the pitch of Nassau County International Stadium has been prepared some time ago under the supervision of well-known Australian curator Damian Hough. There is also an allegation that it is being used for the T20 World Cup without properly checking its quality. After the embarrassment over this pitch, the ICC has instructed Adelaide Oval curator Hogg to improve the pitch. Let us tell you, under the supervision of Hogg, four main pitches and six drop-in surfaces for the T20 World Cup have been prepared in Florida and brought to New York.

New York is to host the ‘great match’ between India and Pakistan in the T20 World Cup on June 9. Tickets for this high-voltage match have been sold for lakhs of rupees and the stadium will be housefull. ICC is worried that if the wicket behaves the same way in this ‘high-voltage’ match and the batsmen get injured, then its image will be ruined.

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‘Ground team working hard to provide better surface’

The apex cricket body ICC has accepted the criticism and concern over the quality of the pitch and has instructed the ground staff led by Hogg to ‘improve’. The statement said, ‘The T20 fraternity and ICC believe that the pitches used so far at Nassau County Stadium have not performed as we wanted. The world class ground team is working hard to improve the situation and provide better surface in the remaining matches..’ Interestingly, Adelaide Oval curator Hogg had expressed happiness about the project (pitch condition) last month. he/she had said, ‘Everything is going according to plan and they (pitches) are in good condition. All our benchmarks and efforts are as expected. Batsmen will be able to play shots on every side of this ground.’

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Slow out field… the ball is barely reaching the boundary
The New York pitch is proving to be a ‘tough task’ for the batsmen, and the slow outfield has made the difference. This is the reason why the spectators have seen very few fours in the matches being played here. Despite the powerful shots of the batsman, the ball is reaching the boundary at a slow speed, sometimes it stops before the boundary. The bad pitch and slow outfield have caused a ‘double blow’ to the fans’ enjoyment of the game.

Matches are being held in Florida, Dallas and New York in America
In America, the T20 World Cup matches are being held in Florida, Dallas and New York. Florida has hosted international matches in the past as well, but this is the first time that international cricket is being organised in Dallas and New York. For the New York stadium, drop-in surfaces have been prepared in Florida and brought to New York under Hogg’s supervision. Drop-in surfaces are surfaces (pitches) that are prepared elsewhere and are later transported to the venue. Such pitches are usually used in Australia. After being prepared at another venue, these pitches are ‘placed’ in the stadium.

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