T20 World Cup 2024: Pundits criticize New York’s drop-in pitch used for SA vs SL game

• Cricket commentators and players unhappy with playing conditions in New York.
• Pitch described as tacky with uneven bounce.
• Faf du Plessis and Prasanna Agoram criticize the pitch.

A number of cricket commentators and players have expressed dissatisfaction with the playing conditions at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York. This comes after a T20 World Cup game between Sri Lanka and South Africa that saw very few runs scored.

South Africa, led by Anrich Nortje, decided to field first after winning the toss and managed to dismiss Sri Lanka for just 77 runs in 19.1 overs. South Africa reached their target in 16.2 overs, with only six boundaries hit throughout the game.

The pitch was difficult for the batsmen, offering a tacky surface with uneven bounce at times.

Both teams struggled to score on the challenging pitch, which, coupled with a thick outfield that slowed down the ball, made run-scoring even more difficult. The match ended with a total of 157 runs at a rate of 4.42 per over, marking it as the slowest scoring rate in any T20 World Cup match for men.

The stadium, built especially for the tournament, is set to host seven more group stage games, including the highly anticipated match between India and Pakistan on Saturday.

Ex-South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis referred to the pitch as “spicy,” and well-known cricket analyst Prasanna Agoram labeled the surface as “terrible.”

Additionally, several other commentators weighed in with their opinions on the disappointing debut of cricket at the New York venue.

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