The first two games of the T20 World Cup have been met with criticism over the pitches used at the Nassau County International Cricket Ground in New York. Complaints have been raised that the surfaces were extremely difficult to bat on, with former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar expressing concern over what he described as something “inherently wrong” with the base of the pitch.
The ICC has acknowledged the substandard pitches and has stated that they are working to “remedy” the issue for the remaining games at the venue. Following the difficulty experienced in the first two games, the ICC has assured that ground staff are working hard to deliver better playing surfaces moving forward.
In addition to criticisms over the pitches, several players sustained injuries during a game between India and Ireland at the new venue. The difficulty of the pitch was further highlighted by former cricketer Andy Flower, who described it as “bordering on dangerous.”
Pitch no. 2 and 3 at the venue have yet to be used for games, but efforts have been made to improve them after observations that grass had been shaved off one of the surfaces. The New York stadium is set to host six more group games, with high anticipation surrounding a match between India and Pakistan on June 9th. The ICC is working tirelessly to ensure that all pitches are up to standard for remaining matches at this venue.
