The ICC has deemed the pitches used for the first two matches of the men’s T20 World Cup 2024 at Nassau County Stadium in New York, and the surface for the semi-final between Afghanistan and South Africa at the Brian Lara Academy in Tarouba, Trinidad as “unsatisfactory.” This evaluation came nearly two months after the tournament.
In the New York matches, Sri Lanka was bowled out for 77 by South Africa on June 3, and Ireland was dismissed for 96 by India two days later. In the second match, players from both teams experienced unpredictable bounce, leading to injuries. Rohit Sharma retired hurt after being struck on the upper arm by Josh Little, Rishabh Pant also took a blow from Little, and Harry Tector of Ireland was hit on the finger by a short ball from Jasprit Bumrah.
At the time, Andy Flower described the pitch in New York as “bordering on dangerous,” while former England captain Michael Vaughan labelled it “shocking.”
The New York modular venue was completed in five months. Damian Hough, chief curator at Adelaide Oval, prepared the drop-in pitches, but they were criticized for being substandard, partly due to the rapid scheduling of eight games in two weeks.
Remedial work was done before the Canada vs Ireland match, improving the pitches, which were later rated as “satisfactory” for subsequent games, including India vs Pakistan. However, the pitch for the semi-final, where Afghanistan was bowled out for 56, was particularly problematic with inconsistent bounce, drawing significant criticism. Afghanistan’s head coach, Jonathan Trott, remarked at the time, “that’s not a pitch you want to play a semi-final on.”
The surfaces at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy proved challenging. The West Indies, who scored 149, narrowly defended their total against New Zealand and were once struggling at 30 for 5.
The ICC rates pitches and outfields for international matches 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 Kensington Oval pitch for the final between India and South Africa received a “very good” rating.
Overall, the ICC was satisfied with the outfields, with New York and Guyana rated “satisfactory,” while the others were rated “very good.”
