'Too many deliveries skidding...': Ex-India cricketer questions pitch in Afghanistan-Papua New Guinea T20 World Cup game | Cricket News - Times of India
Source: The Times of India
NEW DELHI: The pitches in the USA and the West Indies for the T20 World Cup have been under scrutiny ever since the tournament started.
Questions were raised at the relaid pitch at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on which India played all their three games.
T20 WORLD CUP: SCHEDULE | POINTS TABLE
Though India won all their matches, their scores were 97/2, 119 and 111/3.A high-innings score caters well to T20 cricket with the ball coming nicely on to the bat and flying off the blades of the hard-hitting batters.
The Nassau pitch was dual paced and the ball stopped while coming off the bat. In fact both Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant sustained injuries in the match against Ireland.
The Brian Lara Stadium at Tarouba in Trinidad hosted its second match on Thursday in which Afghanistan defeated Papua New Guinea by 7 wickets to reach the Super Eight stage of the tournament.
It was another low-scoring game as PNG were bundled out for just 95 runs in 19.5 overs and in reply, Afghanistan got off to a bad start before reaching their target in 15.1 overs.
Fazalhaq Farooqi took 3/16 as PNG were 17/4 at one stage.
Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra raised his concern at the nature of the pitch at Tarouba.
"The pitch at NY has been the source of a lot of discussion...but what's happening at Tarouba? Not an ideal surface for T20 cricket again. Too many deliveries skidding along the surface. Anyway, well done, Afghanistan," Chopra posted on X.
The previous match at the venue - between New Zealand and West Indies - was also not a high-scoring one as the Kiwis failed to chase down a 150-run target, losing by 13 runs.
The Brian Lara Stadium is scheduled to host three matches in the tournament and only time will tell whether they will be high-scoring games or bowlers will again call the shots depending on the nature of the surface.
The TOI Sports Desk excels in a myriad of roles that capture the essence of live sporting events and deliver compelling content to readers worldwide. From running live blogs for India and non-India cricket matches to global spectacles featuring Indian talents, like the Chess World Cup final featuring Praggnanandhaa and the Badminton World Championships semifinal featuring HS Prannoy, our live coverage extends to all mega sporting events. We extensively cover events like the Olympics, Asian Games, Cricket World Cups, FIFA World Cups, and more. The desk is also adept at writing comprehensive match reports and insightful post-match commentary, complemented by stats-based articles that provide an in-depth analysis of player performances and team dynamics. We track news wires for key stories, conduct exclusive player interviews in both text and video formats, and file content from print editions and reporters. We keep track of all viral stories, trending topics and produce our own copies on the subjects. We deliver accurate, engaging, and up-to-the-minute sports content, round the clock.