ICC criticised for ‘spicy’ New York pitch

The ICC is receiving flak from former cricketers, analysts and fans for the playing conditions at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York, which hosted the low-scoring South Africa-Sri Lanka Group D match of the ICC T20 World Cup yesterday.

In the match, Sri Lanka were bundled out for a mere 77 and it took South Africa over 16 overs to chase down the meagre target.

Both team's run-rate were below five runs per over, an anomaly in the shortest format of the game where teams often score double that rate per over.

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The pitch had inconsistent bounce, with some balls taking off from a good length, making run-scoring very difficult.

The outfield also was far from ideal with fielders' knees often getting stuck in the ground when diving for the ball.

Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis was shocked by how the pitch was playing and wrote, "Wow this wicket is spicy" on his X handle.

Former India cricketer Irfan Pathan also didn't mince his words on X, writing, "Not an ideal pitch for T20 cricket.

The stadium is a makeshift venue built in around three months for the T20 World Cup and is using drop-in pitches. The venue is also set to host the highly anticipated India-Pakistan match on June 9.

Indian commentator Harsha Bhogle feels that playing on such surfaces won't help cricket gain any ground on USA, the main purpose behind ICC deciding to add the USA as one of the hosts for the T20 World Cup.

"Not sure this is the best introduction to cricket in a new land," Bhogle wrote on X. "You could have a different drop in pitch, maybe, but the outfield?"