August 20, 2024

T20 World Cup 2024: New York, Tarouba Pitches Rated ‘Unsatisfactory’ by ICC

The pitch for the India vs. Pakistan game, where India narrowly won by six runs after scoring just 119, has been rated as “satisfactory.” However, the ICC has rated the pitches for the first two matches at New York’s Nassau County Stadium during the men’s T20 World Cup 2024 as “unsatisfactory.” This venue, which no longer exists, saw Sri Lanka bowled out for 77 against South Africa, and Ireland dismissed for 96 by India two days later. The semi-final pitch between Afghanistan and South Africa at the Brian Lara Academy in Tarouba also received an “unsatisfactory” rating. The verdict, delivered nearly two months after the tournament, highlighted concerns about player safety. In the India-Ireland game, several players were struck by the ball due to uneven bounce, with Rohit Sharma retiring hurt after being hit on the upper arm by Josh Little, and Rishabh Pant and Ireland’s Harry Tector also suffering injuries from short balls. India eventually won the tournament by defeating South Africa in the final.

At the time, former Zimbabwe captain Andy Flower described the New York pitch as “bordering on dangerous,” while former England captain Michael Vaughan called it “shocking.” The modular venue had been prepared in just five months, with Damian Hough, the Adelaide Oval’s chief curator, brought in by the ICC to prepare the drop-in pitches. However, after widespread criticism, the ICC admitted that the pitches were substandard, noting that the short turnaround time between matches—New York hosted eight games in two weeks—made the situation worse.

Remedial work was done before the Canada vs. Ireland game, where areas with grass growing through cracks were covered with topsoil and rolled to create a flatter surface. The pitches used for the subsequent matches in New York, including the India vs. Pakistan game where India defended 119, were rated as “satisfactory.” However, more scrutiny was placed on the semi-final pitch, where Afghanistan was bowled out for 56. Some deliveries barely bounced, while others shot up unexpectedly. Afghanistan’s head coach Jonathan Trott criticized the pitch, saying, “that’s not a pitch you want to play a semi-final on.”

The surfaces at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy were generally challenging. In one match, the West Indies managed to score 149 and narrowly defended it against New Zealand, despite being in trouble early at 30 for 5. The ICC rates pitches and outfields for all international games on a scale from very good to unfit: very good, good, satisfactory, unsatisfactory, and unfit. The pitch at Providence for the India vs. England semi-final was rated “satisfactory,” while the deck at Kensington Oval for the final between India and South Africa was rated “very good.” Overall, the ICC was pleased with the condition of the outfields, with most receiving “very good” ratings, except for New York and Guyana, which were rated “satisfactory.”

Ollie Pope Vows to Lean on Ben Stokes as He Begins Stand-in Captaincy Reign

Ollie Pope is set to become the 82nd man to captain England’s Test team when they face Sri Lanka on Wednesday, stepping in for the injured Ben Stokes. Although Stokes remains with the squad throughout the three-match series in Manchester, Pope emphasized on Tuesday that “it’s still Stokesy’s team,” promising to convey “the same messages from a different voice.” Despite his limited captaincy experience—having led only one first-class match and eight T20 Blast games for Surrey this season—Pope has been England’s official vice-captain since last summer. With Stokes sidelined due to a hamstring injury from the Hundred, Pope now has three Tests to prove himself in this new leadership role.

“When I got appointed vice-captain, there was always a chance that something like this would happen,” Pope said. “It’s not necessarily something you dream about, but it’s one of the greatest honours I see in English cricket. It’s exciting for me, and it’s a chance for us as a team to try and to take a step forward.”

Stokes has been at both of England’s training sessions at Emirates Old Trafford and Pope has welcomed his presence. “It’s still Stokesy’s team,” he said. “Everyone’s pretty clear how they want to go about this week, and this series in general. I think having Stokesy in the changing-room is great.

“If I want to lean on him, I can lean on him, and I think he’s going to let me do my own thing for the course of this Test series as well. I know how well he’s managed our bowlers especially, and I’ve picked his brains a little bit on that. It’s a lot of the same messages from a different voice, and in my own way… He’s going to let me go and do my thing over the course of this series.”

Stokes, who has begun his rehabilitation with a goal of returning for October’s tour to Pakistan, will remain a key presence in the dressing room. He will be one of several influential voices, alongside Brendon McCullum, James Anderson, and the rest of England’s staff, providing guidance and support to the team. “He’s obviously going to be watching, chatting with Baz, and I can have those conversations in the intervals if I think anything needs to change and [we can] bounce a few ideas off each other,” Pope said. “I think it’s only a positive having him around.”

Pope had a productive series against West Indies in July, scoring 57 at Lord’s and then 121 and 51 at Trent Bridge. But he has only faced 39 balls in competitive matches since that series ended, scoring 35 runs in five innings for London Spirit in the Hundred, and said that he has learned in his brief experience of captaincy that he will need to compartmentalise his batting.

“Hopefully, it’s almost a positive on my batting,” he said. “I’ve still put in the hard work in the nets with the bat like I do for Test cricket. I’m still at No. 3 when it comes to batting and my job for the team is still to go out and score big runs… when I had a bit of a stint in the T20 for Surrey, the first thing I reminded myself was, when it’s batting time, it’s batting time.

“Then, the rest of the time, you can be the captain and think a little bit more about the team. I’ve got some great guys to lean upon on the pitch as well, obviously Brooky [Harry Brook] being vice-captain, he’s got a great cricket brain, and guys like Rooty [Joe Root] out there on the pitch too. There’s plenty of experience to bounce off a few ideas.”

Pope missed England’s most recent Test in Manchester through injury, when they were thwarted by the rain during last year’s Ashes series, and the forecast is poor again this week. “I’ve not looked too closely at the weather,” he said, when asked if England would consider setting the game up for a result. “Whether it takes us five days or however long, the aim is obviously to go and win the game.”

Sri Lanka lost their only warm-up match last week against a young and inexperienced England Lions team but recently secured a 2-0 victory over India in an ODI series. Although Ollie Pope, who has never faced Sri Lanka before, is aiming for a series whitewash, he emphasized that England is not underestimating their opponents, who are touring England for the first time since 2016.

“I know they’ve won [against] India, but I think the main focus for us is on ourselves. We know that if we can go and play our best cricket then hopefully, that’s enough. We’ll respect them as a team. We don’t underestimate anyone … Our target is to go out and win 3-0 but at the same time, we realise that Sri Lanka have got some good experience.”