The International Cricket Council has admitted serious concerns about the standard of the pitches at the new Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York, which is due to host the marquee World Cup match between India and Pakistan on Sunday.
The drop-in pitches at the venue, which were created especially for the tournament, have been heavily criticised after a series of low scores in the opening fixtures. The former England coach Andy Flower even said they were “bordering on dangerous” after three batters were hit by rising balls during India’s game against Ireland.
“The ICC recognise that the pitches used so far have not played as consistently as we would have all wanted,” a spokesperson said. “The world-class grounds team have been working since the conclusion of yesterday’s game to try and remedy the situation and deliver the best possible surfaces for the remaining matches.”
The truth is that there is not a whole lot they can do at this late stage, except switch to one of the two other pitches in the block of four at the stadium and hope that it is an improvement.
So far, the four competitive innings played at the ground have produced scores of 77, 80, 96 and 97, while only three individual players have managed to score more than 25. One of them, Rohit Sharma, had to retire injured after he had made the first (and only) 50 at the ground because he was hit on the arm.
Still, the fast bowlers have been enjoying it. “I don’t think you need to see 20 sixes in a game for it to be a good game,” said South Africa’s Anrich Nortje after he took four for seven against Sri Lanka.
Which is true. But 20 sixes in the entire tournament would be nice. So far there have been 14 scored in New York, which is not the feast the organisers, or the broadcasters, were hoping for as they try to sell the game in the USA. Another low total or two in Sunday’s game, which is being billed locally as cricket’s equivalent of the Super Bowl, would be embarrassing. There are also genuine fears that the erratic bounce could turn the match into a lottery, in which everything will depend on who gets to bat first.
Even well established venues can struggle to get pitches right, so it is unsurprising that the drop-in ones being used at the temporary stadium have turned out to be so much trouble. The staff had just three months to prepare the venue, and it was handed over to the ICC only four days before the first game.
But all the same, the pitches are only one of a growing number of issues affecting this leg of the tournament. There has not been anything close to a sellout crowd yet, and fans have been complaining about minimal marketing, high prices and a lack of facilities at the ground.
South Africa’s batters refused to use the nets at the training facilities because they thought the pitches were too dangerous. The Irish and Sri Lankan players have raised concerns about the distance they have had to travel and their lack of access to the stadium before their matches, and Pakistan have already changed their accommodation for this weekend’s game against India so that they do not have to make the same sort of 90-minute commute in from the city. At this point, a lot rests on whether or not that match goes smoothly or not.
