June 6th 2024.
New Delhi: The recent T20 World Cup match between India and Ireland at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York has stirred up some controversy. Former players Irfan Pathan and Michael Vaughan expressed their disappointment over the "sub standard" pitch, causing a stir among cricket fans.
India managed to secure a convincing win over Ireland, but the condition of the pitch raised concerns as it was the second consecutive game at the stadium where the team was bowled out for under 100 runs. The match between Sri Lanka and South Africa also ended with a similar result, further raising questions about the surface.
India's captain, Rohit Sharma, won the toss and chose to bowl first. The Indian bowlers took full advantage of the conditions and managed to restrict Ireland to a mere 96 runs in 16 overs. The unpredictable bounce and low trajectory of the ball made it difficult for the Irish batsmen to score.
In response, Rohit's impressive 52 runs off 37 balls and Rishabh Pant's unbeaten 36 led India to a comfortable victory with 48 balls to spare. However, the pitch came under scrutiny as Vaughan criticized the International Cricket Council (ICC) for allowing the players to play on a "sub standard surface" which could put their safety at risk.
Vaughan's tweet read, "Trying to sell the game in the states is great..love it..but for players to have to play on this sub standard surface in New York is unacceptable..You work so hard to make it to the WC then have to play on this #INDvIRE."
Echoing Vaughan's sentiments, Pathan also expressed his concerns about the pitch not being suitable for a World Cup match. He went on to say that if such a pitch was in India, a match would never be played there again for a long time. "Look, we definitely want to promote cricket in America, but this pitch is not safe for players. If we had a pitch like this in India, a match would never be played there again for a very long time. This pitch is definitely not good. I mean, we are talking about the World Cup here, not even a bilateral series," Pathan stated in an interview with Star Sports.
During the post-match presentation, Rohit also shared his thoughts on the pitch and his injury. He mentioned that the wicket was not settled down in the second innings and had enough for the bowlers to take advantage of. "Yeah, just a little sore. I said it at the toss as well. Quite unsure of what to expect from the pitch. Not aware on what it is to play like on a pitch that's five months old. I don't think the wicket settled down even when we batted second. There was enough for the bowlers," Rohit explained.
The controversy surrounding the pitch has now shifted the focus to the upcoming match between India and Pakistan, which will also be played at the same venue. Fans and players alike are hoping for a better playing surface for such an important and highly anticipated match.
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