"Seems strange"- ICC accused of match fixing by it's own commentator after South Africa vs Afghanistan semi-final

Legendary Australia captain Ricky Ponting has found the use of a new strip for the first semi-final match of the T20 World Cup 2024 'strange'. The match was played between Afghanistan and South Africa at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba, Trinidad.

The pitch favored the bowlers quite heavily as South Africa bowled out Afghanistan for their lowest total in T20Is. After choosing to bat first, Afghanistan were bundled out for just 56 in 11.5 overs. None of their batters other than Azmatullah Omarzai could reach the double-digit figures. Omarzai scored 10 runs off 12 balls.

For South Africa, left-arm seamer Marco Jansen dismantled Afghanistan's top order with a brilliant opening spell. Jansen picked up 3-16 in three overs. Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje picked up 2 wickets each while left-arm wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi also chipped in with 3 wickets.

As soon as Afghanistan's openers were removed, their middle order couldn't bear the might of South African bowlers. The excessive movement and inconsistent bounce also played in South Africa's hands as they didn't allow Afghan batters to settle down.

In reply, South Africa chased down the target in just 8.5 overs with 9 wickets in hand. Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi were excellent with the new ball but the target was too low to trouble South African batters. Farooqi picked up the only wicket of Quinton de Kock.

Ricky Ponting slams the use of a new pitch for the match

It was a new pitch used for this particular game. During the pitch report, the availability of grass on the pitch likely pointed out seam movement. The invariable bounce made it even more difficult for the batters.

Commentator Ricky Ponting slammed the use of unused pitch for this game and termed it 'strange'. Ponting was unhappy with the uneven bounce on the surface and believed that the pitch shouldn't have been experimented for such a big game.

“It seems strange to me that you’ll use a brand new wicket for a semi-final one that you’ve actually got no idea about how it’s going to play. We heard the preparation for this wicket started about a week and a half,” Ponting told the host broadcaster.

“There was a game early in the tournament – West Indies and New Zealand – which was a 150 plays 140 type game. And at least they had some sort of idea of how that wicket was going to play. I know the ball swung that night. That’s okay. You can deal with that. But the variation in bounce and seam that we’ve seen here, I’m not sure if I’m the groundsman, I’ll be experimenting with something like that in such a big moment,” the former Australian batter added.

Inconsistent bounce makes it difficult for batters

The bounce was inconsistent in both the innings of the match. Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada were almost unplayable with the new ball as they used their height to great effect. Anrich Nortje's high pace also made Afghan batters uncomfortable at the crease as they struggled for momentum.

Even in the second innings, Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi got the South African batters in a tangle early on. In the second ball of the run-chase, Naveen-ul-Haq's good length ball hit Quinton de Kock on the midriff. Not only the fast bowlers but the spinners were quite productive due to the inconsistent bounce.