Adelaide Oval curator Damian Hough is under the pump for the quality of the pitches in New York at the T20 World Cup
The International Cricket Council has acknowledged problems with the quality of the pitch in its pop-up stadium in New York, with ground staff led by Australian curator Damian Hough “working hard” to make improvements.
The Nassau County International ground in Long Island is a crucial part of the T20 World Cup, with plenty of promotional work going into the tournament’s arrival on the outskirts of the Big Apple, but the quality of the ground has been causing concerns.
The surface, prepared more than 1,000 miles away in Florida and transplanted just a month ago, was sluggish and unpredictable in its low-scoring opening fixture between South Africa and Sri Lanka before things took a turn for the worse.
The bounce was erratic throughout India’s win over Ireland, with Rohit Sharma retiring hurt after being hit by a Josh Little ball that leapt dramatically off a good length.
Former England head coach Andy Flower said conditions were “bordering on dangerous”, while Michael Vaughan branded it a “shocking pitch”.
With the high-profile game between rivals India and Pakistan set to be held there on Sunday, a fixture that routinely attracts some of the highest viewing figures in any sport and has attracted huge prices on resale sites, the governing body issued a statement acknowledging the disappointing nature of the surface.
A statement read: “T20 Inc and the ICC recognise that the pitches used so far at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium have not played as consistently as we would have all wanted.
“The world-class grounds team have been working hard since the conclusion of yesterday’s game to remedy the situation and deliver the best possible surfaces for the remaining matches.”
Hough, the experienced curator responsible for preparing the surface at Adelaide Oval, is in charge of the pitch and had declared himself happy with the project as recently as last month.
“We couldn’t be happier,” he said at the time.
“Everything is going to plan, they (the pitches) are in real good condition and all of our benchmarks and measures that we take along the way are exceeding expectations. You want the batters to be able to play shots all over the ground so that is our design.”
Rohit said his team would prepare for me tough batting conditions against their subcontinent rivals when the teams meet on Sunday (Monday 12.30am AEST).
“I don’t know what to expect from the pitch to be honest, but we will prepare as if the conditions are going to be like this,” Rohit said after India dismissed Ireland for 96 in New York this week.
India seamer Jasprit Bumrah took 2-6 off three overs against Ireland, had little complaints.
“Coming from India, when you see the ball seaming and doing quite a bit, with good bounce and pace, you’d never complain when there’s help for the bowlers,” Bumrah said.
“You have to be proactive in this format, you can’t pre-empt things. You have to adapt to conditions.
“We played a practice game here (against Bangladesh), realised how the wicket is. We realised the new ball will do a lot, so I was just trying to stick to what is working for you.
“You want to cover all bases. Once the seam (movement) goes down, the wicket settles down. Yes, there was uneven bounce but you have to be prepared to bowl in all condition and I’m very happy with the outing.”
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