New York pitch at T20 World Cup 2024: Dangerous, unplayable and sub-standard

[rollingstoned]

New York pitch at T20 World Cup 2024: Dangerous, unplayable and sub-standard

 

T20 World Cup 2024: The New York pitch has been labeled "shocking" and "borderline dangerous" after several batsmen from both sides sustained injuries during India's 8-wicket win over Ireland on Wednesday. India captain Rohit Sharma retired hurt with a shoulder injury caused by a short ball from Josh Little. Rishabh Pant also required treatment after being struck on the arm by a delivery that reared up off a length.

 

India pacers, including Mohammed Siraj, got plenty of purchase from the New York pitch (AP Photo)

 

In Short

• The New York pitch has come under heavy scanner after two low-scoring matches
• Many experts have labeled New York pitch shocking and borderline dangerous
• Rohit Sharma retired hurt with a shoulder injury in India's match at the venue

 

USA's introduction to international cricket is turning out to be far from ideal as the pitches they have curated in New York have come under heavy scanner, with multiple cricketing personalities speaking out against their unpredictable and subpar nature. The newly constructed Nassau County Stadium in New York, hosting its inaugural international matches, has been called a sub-standard pitch condition, leaving players and commentators questioning the suitability of the venue for high-profile matches.

 

India's T20 World Cup 2024 opener against Ireland on Wednesday saw the Men in Blue chase down a modest target of 97 runs to win by 8 wickets in the 13th over. The focus, however, was less on the victory and more on the dangerous and inconsistent pitch conditions that marred the game. The stadium's second match as a T20I venue mirrored its first: low-scoring and brutal. Two days after South Africa bowled Sri Lanka out for 77, India bowled Ireland out for 96. A different strip was used for this game, but the bounce was just as inconsistent, and batting was just as difficult, if not outright dangerous.

 

 

During Ireland's innings, deliveries from Indian pacers Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Siraj ranged from head-height bouncers to grubbers that barely reached wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant. This unpredictable behavior made it nearly impossible for batsmen to settle in and play their natural game. Paul Stirling fell victim to a sharply rising delivery, resulting in a top edge that was easily caught. Harry Tector was hit on the gloves by an Arshdeep bouncer, forcing him to shake off the pain before being dismissed by a Jasprit Bumrah delivery that took an inside edge onto his helmet. The pitch's variability continued to trouble batsmen throughout the innings, with Arshdeep's bouncer in the 16th over flying over Benjamin White's head and resulting in a no-ball for excessive bouncers.

INJURY CONCERNS

 

The pitch's dangerous nature was further highlighted when Indian captain Rohit Sharma was forced to leave the field after sustaining a blow to his upper arm, delivered by pacer Josh Little, leading to concerns among fans and team management. To add to the drama, Rishabh Pant injured his elbow in the 11th over, this time from Josh Little's delivery. Pant received quick treatment but valiantly resumed his innings, scoring a winning six. Detailed updates on both players' ailments are expected. These incidents have raised serious concerns about player safety on this pitch.

 

 

 

 

 

DROP-IN-PITCH

It is important to note that the Nassau County pitch is a drop-in surface, with four main pitches and six drop-in surfaces prepared in Adelaide, shipped to Florida and then laid in New York for the T20 World Cup. Drop-in pitches often require time to settle, a point noted by commentator Ravi Shastri, who mentioned that the curators have promised improvement over time. However, the current state of the pitch has led to it being described as "tricky" throughout the match.

SLOW OUTFIELD

 

 

Ireland's dismissal for 96 marked the second consecutive sub-100 score at the venue, following Sri Lanka's 77 all out against South Africa two days earlier. These low scores are indicative of the challenging batting conditions presented by the pitch. The outfield at Nassau County Stadium has also been criticized. Despite attempts to improve it, the grass trim did little to prevent the ball from stopping abruptly, with puffs of sand visible when the ball ran along the surface.

EXPERTS SLAM PITCH

Michael Vaughan and Andy Flower voiced strong disapproval over the condition of the pitch at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium during the T20 World Cup match between India and Ireland.

"I've got to say that is not a good surface to play an international match on," said former England coach Andy Flower on ESPNCricinfo. "It is bordering on dangerous. You see the ball bouncing on a length both ways so skidding low occasion but in the main bouncing unusually high and striking people on thumb, gloves and helmet and making life very very difficult for any batsman."

Michael Vaughan posted on X: "Shocking surface." He later added, "Trying to sell the game in the States is great... love it, but for players to have to play on this substandard surface in New York is unacceptable. You work so hard to make it to the World Cup, then have to play on this."

 

 

WHAT NEXT?

Concerns have risen about player safety, especially with India and Pakistan, who boast some of the quickest bowlers in the world, playing at Eisenhower Park on Sunday. The unpredictable bounce of the pitch could pose a risk of injury to batsmen. On Wednesday, some balls struck batsmen on the arm, gloves, and head, while others bounced twice before reaching the keeper.

Six of the ten strips on the drop-in square were prepared in Adelaide, shipped to Florida, and then laid in New York. Damien Hough, the groundsman at the Adelaide Oval, has been brought in by the ICC to oversee the pitch preparation. The square is set to host four games in eight days, including the India-Pakistan sell-out match at the pop-up ground. Additionally, the outfield is very sandy, raising concerns about injuries from diving or sliding on the grass.

 

 

 

 

[rollingstoned]

India miffed with 'semi-dangerous' New York pitch after Rohit, Pant injured; chatter around official complaint: Report

 

 

 

Rohit Sharma of India looks on during the ICC Men's T20 Cricket World Cup match against Ireland(Getty Images via AFP)

 

The Indian team management is unlikely to file any official complaint but they are miffed about the ‘semi-dangerous’ and ‘unfit’ New York pitch.

The Indian team management is reportedly unhappy with the pitches at the Nassau County Cricket Stadium in New York. Due to the unpredictable bounce on the pitch, players from both India and Ireland suffered multiple injury scares during the T20 World Cup Group A match on Wednesday. India captain Rohit Sharma was hit flush on the right bicep by a delivery from Ireland bowler Josh Little, which suddenly took off from length. Although he hit a couple of sixes after that to reach his half-century but the pain increased, and he had to retire hurt at the halfway stage of India's chase.

 

Moments after that, Little hit Rishabh Pant on the left elbow. He needed medical attention before carrying on with this innings. "Rohit's injury isn't serious. He himself said that it was a bit sore. He should be okay for Pakistan game as of now. There are two practice sessions before that," a senior BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

 

The Indian team management is unlikely to file any official complaint about the nature of the track but the displeasure is clear about the nature of the virgin track, which according to some who saw, is "semi-dangerous" and "unfit for T20 cricket."

 

 

"It is actually a very fresh pitch. There is a fair grass cover but along with it are big cracks. So it will seam but also take off from length. Now, when you have a fresh track like this, you first try out a few games like you do beta testing with a new app. Then you release it in the market. It is not a T20 wicket and all four tracks look same," someone closely associated with the Indian team told PTI after a first-hand look at the track after the match.

A bit more roller use might even out cracks, but these kinds of tracks take time to settle down.

While Indian pacers literally toyed with a very competent T20 outfit like Ireland, even the biggest fan of Arshdeep Singh wouldn't have imagined that his deliveries would take off like surface-to-air missiles.

"One should be glad that nothing serious happened to Rohit and Rishabh (Pant). They are fine," the source added.

However Ireland's Harry Tector had to undergo mandatory concussion test as a nasty snorter from Jasprit Bumrah first hit his gloves and then flush on the helmet before Virat Kohli completed the catch.

India batting coach plays down pitch controversy

This was only the second international match in the venue. In the first match, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 77 while South Africa took 18.2 overs to chase that down as batters from both sides found it hard to adjust to the pace and bounce of the match.

When India batting coach Vikram Rathour was asked about the pitch, he played it down. "It is a challenging wicket as far as batting is concerned but this is what we have so we need to find ways to deal with it. Like I said earlier, we have enough skills and experience in the batting group especially to deal with that. We have enough good batters who can manage to bat well on any kind of surface. I think that has been our strength for many, many years. I think we can adapt really well to different conditions, and I think on this surface you really need to adapt well and take it head-on and not worry about it too much and you're right - we have everybody fit, and they're all looking good. They're all batting well, so yeah, it's a good space to be as a batting coach," he said after India's eight-wicket win.

 

Been a shitshow so far this wc, reminding me of 2007.

 

 

[Zero_Unit]

So the blame goes to ICC or USA cricket board?

[kosingh]

Everything is so haphazard in this World Cup. Much worse than 2007. The 2010 World Cup in West Indies was fine. The games in US (not only New York) are especially awful. 

 

The legends league tournaments that Warne, Tendulkar played in the US was more interesting than this nonsense. 

[Lone Wolf]

Haris Tepiya may try to injure our players too...  This pitch is tailor made for Tepiyas.

Golden opportunity for Poyzz.  

 

BCCI and ICC deserve belt treatment for choosing NY over Dallas and Florida 

 

@Gollum worried about this game.

 

Edited June 6, 2024 by Lone Wolf

[LordPrabhzy]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/articles/ceddyd2yd7jo

 

 

We are being pampered with dead pitches and IPL rules- our batsmen want easy way out and make runs without sweat. I dont see anything wrong with pitches which are bouncy. India is scared because of Pak pace attack, it will be same pitch for Bumrah and Siraj. We could have taken Umran for this pitch but nooo.

 

Indian batsmen have to learn to play on difficult pitches

[lemsip]

10 minutes ago, LordPrabhzy said:

Indian batsmen have to learn to play on difficult pitches

In the games played on these tracks so far, the Indian batsmen have adapted better than anyone else. In fact not playing on 200+ pattas is better for India's chances as the bowling attack is pretty decent and the "anchor" mindset in batting will probably help for a change.

[Nonbeliever]

Pitches should be like ipl where there is no diffence between a full toss or a pitched ball.  Pitch should never play a role in the game.  Basically a baseball hitter should be as effective as a pure cricket batsman.

[cpct]

They are making these kinds of pitches so that India could win this t20 world cup.

[rollingstoned]

48 minutes ago, LordPrabhzy said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/articles/ceddyd2yd7jo

 

 

We are being pampered with dead pitches and IPL rules- our batsmen want easy way out and make runs without sweat. I dont see anything wrong with pitches which are bouncy. India is scared because of Pak pace attack, it will be same pitch for Bumrah and Siraj. We could have taken Umran for this pitch but nooo.

 

Indian batsmen have to learn to play on difficult pitches

The complaints are not because it is difficult to bat and score, indian batsmen have actually done okay. They're just not great tracks for an international tournament and it's not just the Indians who are saying it. The surface for the saf-sl game was an awful one too. 

[Throwaib_Chuckter]

Unpredictably weird up & down bounce from a good length even at 125+ kph. Even I'd be playable  Add to that a sand sprinkled outfield that f#king plugs every other decent stroke.

 

What we have in NY is an indefensible  show so far.

 

Chuckte Raho

TC

Edited June 6, 2024 by Throwaib_Chuckter

[Throwaib_Chuckter]

22 minutes ago, cpct said:

They are making these kinds of pitches so that India could win this t20 world cup.

Chuckte Raho

TC

[Throwaib_Chuckter]

2 hours ago, Zero_Unit said:

So the blame goes to ICC or USA cricket board?

The f#kwits who gave too many India games to NY.
East Coast desi bias at work  .

Chuckte Raho

TC

[thecricketer]

Just imagine Mayank Yadav bowling thunderbolts on these pitches.

 

 

 

Edited June 6, 2024 by thecricketer

[cowboysfan]

this is definitely a dangerous pitch,the unpredictable bounce is making batting impossible and guys are getting hurt.

[TellTheTruth]

44 minutes ago, cowboysfan said:

this is definitely a dangerous pitch,the unpredictable bounce is making batting impossible and guys are getting hurt.

I don't understand why so many cricket fans, mostly Indian, can't accept that when a ball pitches on the same length but either keeps low or kicks up and hits a batsman in the head, it is bad for cricket.

 

By all means have pitches with seam movent and some spin but too much unpredictability in pitch makes the pitch a bad pitch.

[putrevus]

21 hours ago, TellTheTruth said:

I don't understand why so many cricket fans, mostly Indian, can't accept that when a ball pitches on the same length but either keeps low or kicks up and hits a batsman in the head, it is bad for cricket.

 

By all means have pitches with seam movent and some spin but too much unpredictability in pitch makes the pitch a bad pitch.

Spot on, you cannot have two deliveries pitching on same spot but behaving two different ways. That is just too dangerous for a batsmen .

[cricketfan28]

ICC said it is looking into fixing it ,can we a expect better one on Sunday?

[BacktoCricaddict]

5 minutes ago, cricketfan28 said:

ICC said it is looking into fixing it ,can we a expect better one on Sunday?

Can you fix a pitch in just a few days?

[putrevus]

8 minutes ago, cricketfan28 said:

ICC said it is looking into fixing it ,can we a expect better one on Sunday?

I don't think they can fix the pitch in two days.Is that the only pitch they have at this ground?