‘Unsatisfactory’ pitches leave blemish on T20 World Cup
Published:Thursday | August 22, 2024 | 12:11 AM
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (CMC):
ALMOST TWO months after the completion of the 2024 men’s T20 World Cup, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has given a thumbs down to two of the pitches used in the competition.
The ICC described the pitches for the first two games at New York’s Nassau County Stadium, as well as the pitch used for the semi-final between Afghanistan and South Africa at the Brian Lara Academy in Tarouba, Trinidad and Tobago, as unsatisfactory.
In the two games in New York, Sri Lanka were routed for just 77 in a six-wicket loss to South Africa, and two days later, Ireland made just 96 in a lopsided eight-wicket loss to India.
The venue in New York was readied in five months, with Damian Hough, the Adelaide Oval chief curator, brought in to prepare the drop-in pitches.
However, after criticism from various quarters, the ICC had acknowledged that the pitches there had been substandard.
Remedial work was carried out, and ahead of the following game, between Canada and Ireland, areas where grass shoots were growing under the cracks were covered with topsoil and rolled in to make the surface much flatter.
The surfaces used for the subsequent fixtures in New York, including India vs Pakistan, where 119 beat 113 for 7, have been rated as “satisfactory”.
The pitch used for the semi-final between Afghanistan and South Africa was also harshly criticised.
During that contest, Afghanistan were skittled out for 56, with some deliveries rolling along the ground during their innings.
The ICC rates pitches, and outfields, for all international games on a scale of very good to unfit: very good, good, satisfactory, unsatisfactory and unfit.
The surface at Providence for the India versus England semi-final was rated “satisfactory”, and the Kensington Oval deck for the final between India and South Africa was rated “very good”.
The ICC was largely happy with the state of the outfields, with only New York and Guyana receiving “satisfactory” ratings, while the others were “very good”.