ICC rates New York, Trinidad pitches ‘unsatisfactory’

The pitches during the men’s T20 World Cup 2024 for the first two matches at New York’s Nassau County Stadium, as well as the one for the semi-final between Afghanistan and South Africa at the Brian Lara Academy in Trinidad and Tobago, have been rated “unsatisfactory” by the ICC.

The verdict comes almost two months after the tournament, which was won by India after defeating South Africa in the final.

In those two games in New York, Sri Lanka were bowled out for 77 against South Africa and Ireland were all out for 96 by India.

In the second game, a number of players from the two sides picked up blows about the body as a result of the uneven bounce.

At the time, Andy Flower had said the pitch in New York was “bordering on dangerous,”  while former England captain Michael Vaughan called it “shocking.”

The modular venue in New York was ready in five months and Damian Hough, the Adelaide Oval chief curator, was brought in by the ICC to prepare the drop-in pitches. But after criticism the ICC acknowledged that the pitches there had been of poor quality and that the short turnaround time between matches didn’t help – New York hosted eight games in two weeks.

But the bigger point of scrutiny, was on the surface for the semi-final, the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, where Afghanistan were bowled out for 56. Some deliveries rolled along the ground, while a few reared up from a similar spot. At the time, Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott was clear: “That’s not a pitch you want to play a semi-final on.”

In general, surfaces at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy were challenging.

The ICC rates pitches and outfields on a scale of very good to unfit: very good, good, satisfactory, unsatisfactory, and unfit.

The surface at Providence for the India vs. England semi-final was rated “satisfactory,”  while the Kensington Oval deck for the final between India and South Africa was rated “very good.”

The ICC was extremely happy with the state of the outfields, with only New York and Guyana receiving “satisfactory” ratings, while the others were “very good.”