On Call For T20 World Cup 2024 To Be Shifted Out Of New York Over Pitch Row, ICC Clears Stance

Despite growing fears over the nature of pitches at New York for the T20 World Cup, there have been no such plans over shifting the remaining matches out of the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium. The untested drop-in pitches at New York, which has favoured bowlers excessively, have come under heavy scrutiny after Sri Lanka were bowled out for 77 by South Africa, followed by India bundling out Ireland for 96.

A report from BBC has said, "India have privately voiced their unhappiness with the unpredictable bounce and two-paced nature of the strips amid worries over the safety of their batters."

India are scheduled to play Pakistan in their second Group A game at New York on Sunday.

"The International Cricket Council (ICC) is believed to be analysing data from previously abandoned games to establish how to react should it need to act. However, ICC officials have maintained there are no contingency plans in place to switch any of the New York games to venues in Florida or Texas, both of which have natural turf strips.

"It is understood an unused pitch has been designated for the India v Pakistan showdown, although there is flexibility to alter that decision depending on how other pitches play before that encounter," said the report from BBC.

The pop-up venue at New York, built for the T20 World Cup, has a total of 10 Tahoma grass pitches, which were grown in Australia and shipped to Florida before being transported via trucks to New York and installed a few weeks in a drop-in arrangement before the tournament began.

Australian curator Damien Hough, who knows the art and science of drop-in pitches due to heading the facility at the Adelaide Oval, was roped in by the ICC for the preparation of pitches at New York.

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