T20 World Cup 2024: ICC admits poor pitch quality at New York venue amid criticism

The pitches at the newly-built New York stadium have come under scrutiny for showing two-paced characteristics and has been deemed dangerous by the cricket pundits considering the uneven bounce.

The ‘drop-in’ pitches at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium are facing criticism for their unusual nature. (Photo – X | @T20WorldCup)

New Delhi: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has admitted that the two pitches used so far at the Nassau County International Cricket Ground in New York have been substandard and are under the process of a revamp considering the furore that has risen over the last few days. The drop-in pitches have come under scrutiny for showing two-paced characteristics and have been deemed dangerous by the cricket pundits considering the uneven bounce.

They have benefitted the pacers at large and the batters are finding it extremely difficult to bat on the two wickets. The ICC has informed that they are taking steps to improve the quality of the pitches for the remaining T20 World Cup games at the venue.

The ICC released a statement on Thursday, a day after India and Ireland played their group stage match on an extremely difficult wicket, saying “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,” the cricket governing body said.

How did the concerns arise?

The Nassau County venue is a pop-up cricket stadium, built in a mere five months with a quick pace and possessing drop-in pitches prepared in Australia and finished in Florida. The first group stage fixture was between South Africa and Sri Lanka on June 3 where the Lankans were dismissed for 77 on pitch no. 1, and South Africa achieved the target only in 16.2 overs.

Two days later, India took on Ireland on pitch no. 4, bowling Ireland out for 96 and registering a comfortable eight-wicket victory – but at the cost of skipper Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant taking blows to the body. Rohit had to retire hurt after he was hit on his arm. Ireland’s Harry Tector also got hit on the finger by a sharp bouncer from Jasprit Bumrah.

Following the second clash, cricket experts and even the teams’ management have raised concerns on the pitch. The second and the third pitches haven’t been used yet. The New York venue is scheduled to host six more group-stage matches, including the highly-awaited India vs Pakistan on June 9.