Hopes that Sunday’s headline T20 World Cup clash between Pakistan and India will help cricket finally crack America are in danger of falling flat, amid growing concerns about the state of the New York pitch.
The surface at Nassau Stadium in Long Island was described by former England coach Andy Flower as “bordering on dangerous” after excessive seam movement and wildly uneven bounce made for dicey batting conditions during India’s win over Ireland on Wednesday.
India captain Rohit Sharma retired hurt after being hit on the arm by a Josh Little delivery that leapt sharply, though he is expected to be fit to face Pakistan.
Ireland had earlier been bowled out for 96 in a second successive low-scoring game at the ground, after Sri Lanka were rolled for 77 by South Africa on Monday.
Such turgid affairs were not what cricket chiefs envisioned when they decided to send eight group-stage matches of this T20 World Cup to New York, the highlight of which, by far, is the weekend’s crunch match between the subcontinental rivals.
That game could have sold out three times over such was the demand for tickets, but the spectacle risks being undermined if ground staff cannot bring about significant improvement over the next few days.
Former England captain Michael Vaughan said it was “unacceptable” for players to be sent out to play on the “sub-standard surface”, which was grown in Florida and driven more than 1,000 miles to the temporary ground in New York before being dropped in only around three weeks ago.
