The International Cricket Council (ICC) has issued an official statement responding to criticism about the drop-in pitches at the T20 World Cup in New York. This follows concerns raised after a subpar pitch during the India vs. Ireland match, where Ireland was bowled out for just 96.
Although some Irish dismissals were due to poor shot selection, the uneven bounce consistently troubled the batters throughout the game. In its statement, the ICC recognized the necessity for enhancements, especially ahead of the much-awaited India-Pakistan match at Nassau County Ground on June 9.
Measures are being taken to improve the playing conditions for the remaining six matches in New York. There were concerns that the India-Pakistan match might also witness low scores, with the team winning the toss and choosing to bat holding a significant advantage.
“T20 Inc and 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.”
”The world-class grounds team have been working hard since the conclusion of yesterday’s game to remedy the situation and deliver the best possible surfaces for the remaining matches,” ICC stated.
As reported by Cricbuzz, ICC officials attribute the uneven bounce to “green veins” on the pitch. The cricketing body has started applying top-dressing to the surfaces of the four drop-in pitches at Eisenhower Park in Long Island. Through pressing and leveling these grass veins, the ICC aims to establish fairer and more consistent playing conditions.
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India captain Rohit Sharma, who retired hurt after being hit on the arm while batting against Ireland, mentioned that the team would adopt a similar approach to prepare for the Pakistan match on the same pitch.
However, Rohit expressed confusion about the track’s behavior and admitted uncertainty about what to anticipate against Pakistan. The team’s batting coach, Vikram Rathour, was slightly more reserved in his assessment.
“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 that,” Rathour said during the post-match press conference, Putting the responsibility on his team to discover methods for scoring.
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