ICC acknowledges poor New York pitches
|| CF DESK ||
The pitches used for the T20 World Cup matches in New York have not met the expected standards, prompting the International Cricket Council (ICC) to announce on Thursday that ground staff are working to improve them for the remainder of the tournament.
The temporary Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, which has hosted two games so far, has been a source of frustration for fans and players alike. The drop-in pitch has proven challenging for batting due to its excessive movement and unpredictable bounce, leading to low-scoring games.
Spectators hoping for high-scoring excitement were disappointed when Sri Lanka were dismissed for a mere 77 runs—their lowest score ever—against South Africa. Similarly, India bowled out Ireland for just 96 runs in a lopsided match on Wednesday.
The ICC is now focused on addressing these pitch issues to ensure a more competitive and entertaining tournament going forward.
"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 ICC said in a statement.
"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 stadium is set to host six more matches, including Sunday's blockbuster game between arch rivals India and Pakistan.
India's batting coach Vikram Rathour described it as a "challenging wicket" having also played a warm-up match at the venue.
"It is what it is. We need to find a way to deal with it and I think we have enough skills in the team and enough experience in the team to deal with it," he said.