The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday (August 20) unveiled the pitch ratings for the Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, which was held in the USA and West Indies in June.

Out of the 52 games staged in the competition, pitches for three matches were rated ‘unsatisfactory’ while the majority received ‘satisfactory’ or higher ratings.

The Nassau County Cricket Stadium in New York, which hosted eight group-stage matches, faced severe criticism.

The ICC rated the strips for the Sri Lanka versus South Africa and India versus Ireland matches in New York as ‘unsatisfactory.’ Sri Lanka were bowled out for 77 against South Africa, while Ireland managed just 96 against India. The highest score at the venue was 137-7, made by Canada against Ireland.

The drop-in pitches at the venue drew flak for their uneven bounce, which led to player injuries, including a blow to Indian captain Rohit Sharma’s hand during the Ireland clash.

However, the low-scoring India versus Pakistan encounter at Nassau County Cricket Stadium received a ‘satisfactory’ rating for both the pitch and the outfield.

Another pitch that came under scrutiny was utilized in the Afghanistan versus South Africa semi-final at the Brian Lara Cricket Stadium in Trinidad. The Proteas pace attack wreaked havoc in that knock-out fixture, bowling Afghanistan out for a mere 56 runs in just 12 overs.

South Africa then easily chased down the target in 8.5 overs to qualify for the title clash, where they lost to India.

Overall, the ICC deemed 31 pitches as ‘satisfactory’ and 18 as ‘very good,’ providing a balanced view of the playing conditions across the showpiece tournament. However, the ‘unsatisfactory’ ratings of the New York and Trinidad tracks have raised concerns about the preparedness of these venues for future international competitions.

(India Today Inputs)