June 6th 2024.
There has been a lot of buzz surrounding the pitches at New York for the T20 World Cup. Many people are concerned about the conditions and how they may affect the remaining matches at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium. These untested drop-in pitches have been a hot topic lately, especially after Sri Lanka and India struggled to score against South Africa and Ireland, respectively.
According to a report from BBC, India has expressed their dissatisfaction with the unpredictable bounce and uneven nature of the pitches. They are worried about the safety of their batters, especially with their upcoming game against Pakistan on Sunday. The International Cricket Council (ICC) is currently analyzing data from previous games in case any action needs to be taken. However, they have assured that there are currently no plans to move any of the matches to other venues in Florida or Texas, both of which have natural turf pitches.
It has been reported that an unused pitch has been set aside for the India-Pakistan game, but the decision may change depending on how the other pitches perform before that match. The pop-up venue at New York was specifically built for the T20 World Cup and has a total of 10 Tahoma grass pitches. These pitches were grown in Australia, shipped to Florida, and then transported to New York a few weeks before the tournament began.
The ICC enlisted the help of Australian curator Damien Hough, who is an expert in creating drop-in pitches, to prepare the pitches at New York. The outfield is made of Kentucky bluegrass, which was grown at a farm in New Jersey and placed on top of sand. During the India-Ireland game on Wednesday, there were concerns about the uneven bounce of the ball, causing players like Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant to take hits. Rohit even had to retire hurt after being struck on the elbow.
Other issues with the New York venue include a slow outfield due to its sand-based nature and a 10-meter difference in the square boundaries on each side. The cause of these problems has not yet been determined. In fact, during the India-Ireland match, some Indian fans were even cheering for Ireland, hoping that the game would go longer so they could see more of their team batting in the second innings.
It has also been reported that there are concerns about the six drop-in pitches at the practice facility in nearby Cantiague Park. Some South African batters chose to face throw downs instead of their own bowlers or local net bowlers due to possible injury risks. Despite all these issues, the matches at New York will continue as planned, and the ICC is working to resolve any problems that may arise.
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