The T20 World Cup 2024, just held in the USA and the Caribbean during June, has been markedly criticized for the pitch conditions. Official pitch ratings have now been released by the ICC, and there is definitely nothing flattering about them for some of the key venues. In particular, the pitches at the Nassau County Stadium in New York and that of the Brian Lara Academy in Tarouba have been considered substandard.
The ICC’s review was aimed at a number of surfaces but centered on those used for its first two matches of the tournament in New York and the semifinal staged at the Brian Lara Academy. Much criticism from early on was concentrated on the pitch at the Nassau County Stadium, and those faults were there from the very start.
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On June 3, Sri Lanka’s batting lineup folded against South Africa for 77 runs before being bowled out. And two days later, Ireland suffered an almost similar fate against India as the team was dismissed for a paltry 96. Inconsistent bounce and unpredictable pitches resulted in a spate of injuries, with blows to the arm of Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, and Ireland’s Harry Tector. Former England skipper Michael Vaughan termed it a “shocking” pitch.
The pitches used in the first two matches of the #ICC #T20 World Cup in #NewYork along with a pitch used for the semifinal between #Afghanistan and #SouthAfrica in #Trinidad have been rated as unsatisfactory by the International #Cricket Council.https://t.co/vWu6qX11pL
— The Daily Star (@dailystarnews) August 20, 2024
Even the best efforts of ICC specialist Damian Hough could not correct the situation, with the track only showing marginal improvement. When the big game between India and Pakistan arrived, the pitch was rated “satisfactory,” but the match itself became a low-scoring affair, with India emerging victorious by just six runs.
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If anything, it was the pitch of the Brian Lara Academy that came off worse in the eyes of the critics. For the semi-final between Afghanistan and South Africa, the unpredictable bounce and variable pace basically scorched Afghanistan to 56 all out. Jonathan Trott, head coach of Afghanistan, joined the chorus of disapproval, calling the surface unfit for such a high-stakes match.
While locations such as Providence and Kensington Oval received fairly high ratings, the ICC adjudged New York and Guyana’s outfields only satisfactory.
