ICC admits poor state of pitch in New York, vows to remedy situation

The Nassau County International ground in Long Island is a crucial part of the T20 World Cup, with plenty of promotional work going into the tournament’s arrival on the outskirts of the Big Apple, but the quality of the ground has been causing concerns.

The surface – prepared over 1000 miles away in Florida and transplanted just a month ago – was sluggish and unpredictable in its low-scoring opening fixture between South Africa and Sri Lanka before things took a turn for the worse.

The bounce was erratic throughout India’s win over Ireland, with Rohit Sharma retiring hurt after being hit by a Josh Little ball that leapt dramatically off a good length.

Former England head coach Andy Flower said conditions were “bordering on dangerous”, while Michael Vaughan branded it a “shocking pitch”.

With the high-profile game between rivals India and Pakistan set to be held there on Sunday, a fixture that routinely attracts some of the highest viewing figures in any sport and has attracted huge prices on resale sites, the governing body issued a statement acknowledging the disappointing nature of the surface.

A statement read: “T20 Inc and the ICC recognise that the pitches used so far at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium have not played as consistently as we would have all wanted.

“The world-class grounds team have been working hard since the conclusion of yesterday’s game to remedy the situation and deliver the best possible surfaces for the remaining matches.”

Australian Damian Hough, the experienced curator in charge of the Adelaide Oval, is in charge of the pitch and had declared himself happy with the project as recently as last month.

“We couldn’t be happier,” he said at the time.

“Everything is going to plan, they (the pitches) are in real good condition and all of our benchmarks and measures that we take along the way are exceeding expectations. You want the batters to be able to play shots all over the ground so that is our design.”