The pitch and outfield for the ICC T20 World Cup match in New York between arch-rivals India and Pakistan has received a “satisfactory” rating from the governing body of the sport. The highly-anticipated match between these two arch-rivals at New York’s Nassau County International Stadium was a low-scoring thriller. After being cleaned up for 119 runs, with Rishabh Pant scoring 42, Pakistan could manage only 113/7 in their quota of 20 overs, with Jasprit Bumrah bowling a game-changing spell of 3/14 in four overs.
The drop-in pitches in New York were under scrutiny throughout the tournament because of low-scoring matches and uneven, unpredictable bounce. During the Sri-Lanka South Africa clash, SL could score only 77 runs in 19.1 overs and SA chased down the target in 16.2 overs.
ICC issued a statement on the quality of the playing surfaces after India’s clash with Ireland, which saw Rohit Sharma retire hurt after getting hit on his hand, saying, “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.”
On Tuesday, ICC released ratings for pitches and outfield for the competition, the surface used during the India-Ireland match was given “unsatisfactory” rating and the India-Pakistan match pitch got “satisfactory rating”.
The Nassau County pitch in New York received “unsatisfactory” rating for the Sri Lanka-South Africa match. Also, the pitch in Tarouba, Trinidad in the Brian Lara Stadium, used for the semifinal between South Africa and Afghanistan received an “unsatisfactory” rating. In the semifinal, Afghanistan was cleaned up for just 55 runs in 11.5 overs and SA chased it down in 8.5 overs.
There were eight matches held in New York, with pitches used in six matches getting “satisfactory” rating. The highest score in New York during the tournament was 137/7, scored by Canada against Ireland.
After every international game, ICC receives marking for wickets and outfields by match referees. As per ICC, “If a pitch or outfield is marked as substandard, the relevant Home Board and the venue are required to explain why the pitch and/or outfield performed below the required standard.”
“A pitch or outfield is deemed to be substandard if it receives a rating of unsatisfactory or unfit. Sanctions may be applied by ICC to a venue that presents a substandard pitch or outfield for international cricket,” as per ICC.
