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The International Cricket Council (ICC) has released its official pitch ratings for the T20 World Cup 2024, which was held across the United States of America (USA) and the West Indies. The ratings, which were eagerly awaited by fans and experts alike, have sparked renewed debate over the quality of the playing surfaces used during the tournament, which concluded over a month ago.
Pitch ratings overview: A mixed bag
The ICC assessed a total of 52 completed matches, with the pitch ratings revealing a mix of satisfactory and concerning results. Out of these, 31 pitches were rated ‘satisfactory,’ while 18 were praised with a ‘very good’ rating. However, the report also highlighted serious issues with three specific pitches, all of which received ‘unsatisfactory’ ratings.
For instance, the Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas and Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua consistently received “Very Good” ratings for their pitches, reflecting excellent playing conditions. In contrast, Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York faced challenges, with some matches rated as “Unsatisfactory,” indicating suboptimal pitch conditions. The overall pitch quality varied significantly across the 2024 T20 World Cup, with certain venues providing a superior playing surface compared to others.
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Unsatisfactory pitches: A cause for concern
The most concerning ratings were attributed to pitches at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York and the Brian Lara Cricket Stadium in Trinidad.
- Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York: This makeshift venue hosted eight matches during the group stage, with two of these matches – South Africa vs Sri Lanka and India vs Ireland – receiving the lowest possible ratings. The surfaces were criticized for inconsistent bounce and excessive assistance to seam bowlers, leading to extremely low totals. Sri Lanka was bowled out for just 77 runs by South Africa, while Ireland managed only 96 runs against India. The ICC’s ‘unsatisfactory’ rating for these two matches underscores the difficulties faced by the batters on these pitches.
- Brian Lara Cricket Stadium, Trinidad: The third pitch under scrutiny was the one used for the semi-final between Afghanistan and South Africa. In this crucial encounter, Afghanistan was dismissed for a mere 56 runs within 12 overs, their lowest T20I score and the lowest ever in a men’s T20 World Cup semi-final. The pitch’s performance during this match drew significant criticism, leading to its ‘unsatisfactory’ rating by the ICC.
Here’s a breakdown of ICC’s 52 pitch ratings for the T20 World Cup 2024:
Sl. No. | Date | Match | Venue | Pitch Rating | Outfield Rating |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 01-Jun-24 | 1ST T20I USA Vs CAN | Grand Prairie Stadium, Texas | Very Good | Very Good |
2 | 02-Jun-24 | 2ND T20I WI Vs PNG | Guyana National Stadium, Georgetown | Satisfactory | Satisfactory |
3 | 02-Jun-24 | 3RD T20I NAM Vs OMN | Kensington Oval, Bridgetown | Satisfactory | Very Good |
4 | 03-Jun-24 | 4TH T20I SL Vs SA | Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York | Unsatisfactory | Satisfactory |
5 | 03-Jun-24 | 5TH T20I AFG Vs UGA | Guyana National Stadium, Georgetown | Satisfactory | Satisfactory |
6 | 04-Jun-24 | 6TH T20I NLD Vs Nep | Grand Prairie Stadium, Texas | Satisfactory | Very Good |
7 | 04-Jun-24 | 7TH T20I ENG Vs SCO | Kensington Oval, Bridgetown | Satisfactory | Very Good |
8 | 05-Jun-24 | 8TH T20I IND Vs IRL | Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York | Unsatisfactory | Satisfactory |
9 | 05-Jun-24 | 9TH T20I PNG Vs UGA | Guyana National Stadium, Georgetown | Satisfactory | Very Good |
10 | 05-Jun-24 | 10TH T20I AUS Vs OMN | Kensington Oval, Bridgetown | Satisfactory | Very Good |
11 | 06-Jun-24 | 11TH T20I USA Vs PAK | Grand Prairie Stadium, Texas | Very Good | Very Good |
12 | 06-Jun-24 | 12TH T20I NAM Vs SCO | Kensington Oval, Bridgetown | Satisfactory | Very Good |
13 | 07-Jun-24 | 13TH T20I CAN Vs IRL | Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York | Satisfactory | Satisfactory |
14 | 07-Jun-24 | 14TH T20I SL Vs BAN | Grand Prairie Stadium, Texas | Very Good | Very Good |
15 | 07-Jun-24 | 15TH T20I NZ Vs AFG | Guyana National Stadium, Georgetown | Satisfactory | Satisfactory |
16 | 08-Jun-24 | 16TH T20I NLD Vs SA | Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York | Satisfactory | Satisfactory |
17 | 08-Jun-24 | 17TH T20I AUS Vs ENG | Kensington Oval, Bridgetown | Satisfactory | Very Good |
18 | 08-Jun-24 | 18TH T20I WI Vs UGA | Guyana National Stadium, Georgetown | Satisfactory | Very Good |
19 | 09-Jun-24 | 19TH T20I IND Vs PAK | Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York | Satisfactory | Satisfactory |
20 | 09-Jun-24 | 20TH T20I OMN Vs SCO | Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua | Very Good | Very Good |
21 | 10-Jun-24 | 21ST T20I SA Vs BAN | Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York | Satisfactory | Very Good |
22 | 11-Jun-24 | 22ND T20I PAK Vs CAN | Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York | Satisfactory | Very Good |
23 | 11-Jun-24 | 24TH T20I AUS Vs NAM | Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua | Very Good | Very Good |
24 | 12-Jun-24 | 25TH T20I USA Vs IND | Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York | Satisfactory | Very Good |
25 | 12-Jun-24 | 26TH T20I WI Vs NZ | Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad | Satisfactory | Very Good |
26 | 13-Jun-24 | 27TH T20I BAN Vs NLD | Arnos Vale Ground, Kingstown | Satisfactory | Very Good |
27 | 13-Jun-24 | 28TH T20I ENG Vs OMN | Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua | Satisfactory | Very Good |
28 | 13-Jun-24 | 29TH T20I AFG Vs PNG | Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad | Satisfactory | Very Good |
29 | 14-Jun-24 | 31ST T20I SA Vs Nep | Arnos Vale Ground, Kingstown | Satisfactory | Very Good |
30 | 14-Jun-24 | 32ND T20I NZ Vs UGA | Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad | Satisfactory | Very Good |
31 | 15-Jun-24 | 34TH T20I NAM Vs ENG | Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua | Very Good | Very Good |
32 | 15-Jun-24 | 35TH T20I AUS Vs SCO | Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia | Very Good | Very Good |
33 | 16-Jun-24 | 36TH T20I PAK Vs IRL | Central Broward Regional Park Stadium, Florida | Very Good | Very Good |
34 | 16-Jun-24 | 37TH T20I BAN Vs Nep | Arnos Vale Ground, Kingstown | Satisfactory | Very Good |
35 | 16-Jun-24 | 38TH T20I SL Vs NLD | Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia | Very Good | Very Good |
36 | 17-Jun-24 | 39TH T20I NZ Vs PNG | Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad | Satisfactory | Very Good |
37 | 17-Jun-24 | 40TH T20I WI Vs AFG | Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia | Very Good | Very Good |
38 | 19-Jun-24 | 41ST T20I USA Vs SA | Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua | Very Good | Very Good |
39 | 19-Jun-24 | 42ND T20I ENG Vs WI | Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia | Very Good | Very Good |
40 | 20-Jun-24 | 43RD T20I AFG Vs IND | Kensington Oval, Bridgetown | Satisfactory | Very Good |
41 | 20-Jun-24 | 44TH T20I AUS Vs BAN | Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua | Very Good | Very Good |
42 | 21-Jun-24 | 45TH T20I ENG Vs SA | Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia | Very Good | Very Good |
43 | 21-Jun-24 | 46TH T20I USA Vs WI | Kensington Oval, Bridgetown | Very Good | Very Good |
44 | 22-Jun-24 | 47TH T20I IND Vs BAN | Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua | Very Good | Very Good |
45 | 22-Jun-24 | 48TH T20I AFG Vs AUS | Arnos Vale Ground, Kingstown | Satisfactory | Very Good |
46 | 23-Jun-24 | 49TH T20I USA Vs ENG | Kensington Oval, Bridgetown | Satisfactory | Very Good |
47 | 23-Jun-24 | 50TH T20I WI Vs SA | Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua | Satisfactory | Very Good |
48 | 24-Jun-24 | 51ST T20I AUS Vs IND | Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia | Very Good | Very Good |
49 | 24-Jun-24 | 52ND T20I AFG Vs BAN | Arnos Vale Ground, Kingstown | Satisfactory | Very Good |
50 | 26-Jun-24 | 53RD T20I AFG Vs SA | Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad | Unsatisfactory | Very Good |
51 | 27-Jun-24 | 54TH T20I IND Vs ENG | Guyana National Stadium, Georgetown | Satisfactory | Very Good |
52 | 29-Jun-24 | 55TH T20I SA Vs IND | Kensington Oval, Bridgetown | Very Good | Very Good |