T20 World Cup 2024: "If we had pitch like this in India..." - Irfan Pathan criticizes New York pitch for safety risks

The pitch at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York, where India recently faced Ireland in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, has come under heavy scrutiny for its oddly variable bounce and slow outfield.

After the pitch showed contrasting bounce at different times during the India versus Ireland match, former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan and former England captain Michael Vaughan slammed the track and described the pitch as unsafe, raising serious concerns about the players’ safety.

Nassau County pitch under fire after India-Ireland T20 World Cup 2024 match

The safety issues were highlighted during India's opening match in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 against Ireland when the captain, Rohit Sharma, was struck on the right bicep by a delivery from Irish bowler Josh Little.

The ball unexpectedly rose off a length, forcing Rohit to retire hurt after scoring a half-century. Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant was also struck on the elbow during the game.

Apart from Rohit and Rishabh, Ireland's Harry Tector was also hit on the gloves by Arshdeep Singh’s delivery, and he was seen shaking his fingers in pain in New York, where the low-bouncing deliveries were dying before they arrived during the match.

Reacting to the incidents, Pathan said that they want to promote cricket in America, but this pitch is not safe for players. Even the commentator, slamming the ICC and USA cricket boards, said that if India had prepared such pitches, cricket matches would have been banned for a long time at that venue.

Irfan Pathan and Michael Vaughan slam Nassau County pitch

Irfan Pathan said on Star Sports as quoted by PTI: “Look, we definitely want to promote cricket in America, but this pitch is not safe for players. If we had a pitch like this in India, a match would never be played there again for a very long time. This pitch is definitely not good. I mean, we are talking about the World Cup here, not even a bilateral series.”

Meanwhile, Michael Vaughan also criticized the pitch conditions, stressing the need for better preparation and maintenance for a World Cup. The former England captain said that promoting cricket in America is a good idea, but offering substandard surfaces to the players is not acceptable.

Vaughan posted on X (formerly known as Twitter): “Trying to sell the game in the states is great ... love it … but for players to have to play on this sub-standard surface in New York is unacceptable … You work so hard to make it to the WC then have to play on this ... #INDvIRE”

Notably, the pitches at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium are drop-in surfaces. Four main pitches and six drop-in surfaces were prepared in Florida and transported to New York for the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024.

It is being said that the drop-in pitches take time to settle and will only get better with time. The India versus Ireland match took place on pitch No. 4 on Wednesday in New York. India won the game by 8 wickets against Ireland.