USA Pitch Fiasco: ICC Delays Upload of New York T20 World Cup Pitch Ratings

Even though the T20 World Cup ended seven and a half weeks ago, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has not yet formally released the ratings for the pitch and outfield of the 54 matches played in the United States and the West Indies.

The attention is more on the ratings of the eight games played at the Nassau County field in New York state than on the matches played in the West Indies. On the new drop-in pitches constructed by Adelaide curator Damian Hough, the average first-inning score for the eight games was a modest 107.6.

Pitch and outfield ratings are published to the ICC website; a search of this page reveals that no modifications have been made for international games (men and women) since May 31, 2024.

The New York track and outfield were criticized all over the world for their erratic bounce and sluggish outfield, which made it challenging to pursue even scores of 120.

Why the pitch and outfield ratings haven’t been uploaded to the ICC website even after 46 days is still a mystery. The ICC released pitch evaluation scores for the 50-over World Cup in India within a week of the match ending, so this delay is especially strange.

For those eight games played in New York, Jeff Crowe, Richie Richardson, David Boon, and Ranjan Madugalle served as match referees.

If properly evaluated, New York is likely to receive an average or below average grade for both pitch and outfield. The rating categories are very good, good, satisfactory, average, and below average.

It is recognized that the ICC is eager to prevent unfavorable results regarding pitch condition during the international event in the United States because cricket is scheduled to be featured in the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Since New York did not provide a good model for the sport’s entry into the Games, the ICC will need to build the necessary sporting infrastructure in the next four years in order to participate in the Los Angeles Olympics.