Team India express unhappiness with New York pitch, ICC refuses to switch venues - Reports

Team India captain Rohit Sharma and wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant were hit on their arms while batting against Ireland in New York.

A significant talking point among the fans, media and commentators in the New York leg of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024 has been the pitch.

The New York pitch has come under heavy scrutiny and the ICC under huge criticism as the surface at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium has been extremely challenging for the batters.

Former England head coach Andy Flower said the pitch in New York is “bordering on dangerous,” after seeing the balls hit the arms of the batters after shooting up from length.

During the India vs Ireland match, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant and Harry Tector were hit by balls which bounced unexpectedly high from the good length. Both matches in New York – South Africa vs Sri Lanka before India vs Ireland – so far have been low-scoring with pacers running riot.

Team India express dissatisfaction with New York pitch, but ICC won’t switch venues in middle of the tournament

According to a BBC report, Team India’s management has “privately voiced their unhappiness” about the pitch at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, complaining about its “unpredictable bounce and two-paced nature.”

India will play Pakistan in their next fixture again in New York. Pakistan’s pace attack includes Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf – three deadly bowlers with high release points, which will make life for Indian batters more difficult than the Ireland pacers did.

India have reportedly expressed “worries over the safety of their batters.”

The ICC has acknowledged the danger of the New York pitch, as they have started analysing data from previously abandoned games to determine how much danger is enough to stop a game.

However, the ICC has reportedly confirmed that there is no plan or thought to move the matches out of New York and switch the IND vs PAK match elsewhere.

For the unversed, the pitches at this venue are drop-in pitches that were brought from Australia. However, since the stadium was fully constructed and ready for use just before the T20 World Cup started, there was no usage of the surfaces. Hence, nobody could predict how the pitch would behave in the main tournament.

After the Ireland match, India captain Rohit Sharma said, “I don’t know what to expect from the pitch to be honest, but we will prepare as if the conditions are going to be like this [for the Pakistan game].”

For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket for IPL 2024 Live Score & IPL Points Table,  on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.