Former England captain Michael Vaughan upbraided the pitch at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium here that is in use for the T20 World Cup match between India and Ireland, calling it a “sub-standard surface.” In fact, this was the second match in a row in New York a team was bowled out for a total less than 100.
Off all the experts giving their opinion regarding the nature of dropping pitches, Micheal Vaughan too raised his worry about the deteriorating condition of pitches in New York. The New York stadium witnessed its first World Cup earlier on June 3 where South Africa beat Sri Lanka by 6 wickets. However, the pitch at Nassau County was criticized due to issues with its pitch and the outfield.
The Nassau county Pitch
The weather in New York is perfect for cricket. Not too hot, not too cold, no worry about dew. The pitch and outfield, however, will be under the scanner again after the events from Monday, where 80 for 4 in 16.2 overs played 77 all out. But things can only get better. India played a warm-up game here, on a different track, and they scored 180.
The upcoming match at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium will only be the second in the venue’s history. Previously, the stadium hosted a match between Sri Lanka and South Africa on June 3. Sri Lanka were bowled out for just 77 runs during this low-scoring encounter. South Africa also struggled in their chase, reaching the target in the 17th over. The pitch for the upcoming match is expected to be slow and sluggish, which could favour India due to their skilled spinners who can effectively utilize such conditions.
Before the warm-up game, the uncertainty regarding the surface, the ground was at its peak and it was natural since it was the first-ever competitive game at the venue after it was completed last month only. Now that the game has taken place, a few interesting factors will have to be kept in mind given how the surface played. Firstly, it might not be a 200-210 surface and batting first probably be a good decision since there will be day games mostly in the Big Apple.
Secondly, the spongy bounce will bring unsurity in batters’ minds and hence will affect scoring as well. Some balls were coming on, a few were turning and some of them really kicked off the surface, which might also be the after-effects of drop-in wicket. Thus, ability to play spin will be tested and whoever gets through that test will be able to score and scoring in the second innings will get tougher and tougher. With the quality of spinners they have, SL vs SA might prove to be a cracking encounter.
Another factor, the thick and sluggish outfield. The lofted shots were dropping into the turf and stopping and hence, running between the wickets will be crucial to setting scores and chasing down totals.
Former England cricketer now commentator Michael Vaughan has expressed his concerns about the conditions and the pitch.
Michael Vaughan slams New York pitch for India-Ireland 2024 T20 World Cup clash
Former England captain Michael Vaughan blasted the pitch at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York where India are taking on Ireland today, June 5. Winning the toss and bowling first, Rohit Sharma’s men bundled out the Irish for a paltry 96 in 16 overs.
The pitch once again had uneven bounce and exaggerated movement for the pacers, making run-scoring and strokeplay an arduous task. This comes after New York played host to another low-scoring affair in the South Africa-Sri Lanka contest a couple of days back. After the Lankans scored a dismal 77 in their innings, the Proteas took 16.2 overs to finish off the run-chase.
During the innings break of the India-Ireland clash, Michael Vaughan criticized the New York track on his X account.
“Trying to sell the game in the states is great .. love it .. but for players to have to play on this sub standard surface in New York is unacceptable .. You work so hard to make it to the WC then have to play on this,” posted Vaughan.
The South Africa-Sri Lanka game was the first T20 game played in New York with the pitch and outfield coming under heavy criticism post-match. The teams combined to score at a run rate of 4.42, the lowest in T20 World Cup history. The whole match saw only six boundaries and as many maximums being struck. Michael Vaughan seemed a little worried as how come the World event like this should be played on such unplayable pitches.
The blockbuster India-Pakistan clash to be played in New York
The highly-anticipated India-Pakistan clash will be played at the same venue on Sunday, June 9. With the stands expected to be filled to the rafters, the wicket conditions could play spoilsport to a potentially exciting contest. Before the India-Pakistan game, two other fixtures will be played in New York.
Canada will take on Ireland on June 7, followed by the Netherlands taking on South Africa on June 8. After the India-Pakistan encounter, three other matches will be played at the venue. South Africa will play Bangladesh on June 10, followed by the Pakistan-Canada clash on June 11. The venue will witness its final game of the 2024 T20 World Cup when India takes on co-hosts USA on June 12.