Pakistan

Seamer Hasan took 5-60 as the Proteas collapsed to 274 all out Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Monday, losing by 95 runs after looking poised to level the series.

Hasan finished with magnificent match figures of 10-114, inspiring Pakistan to a first series triumph over South Africa since 2003.

South Africa had been going along nicely on 241-3 chasing 370 to win, but the tourists fell apart after Markram was dismissed for a superb 108.

Markram's fifth Test hundred – and his first since March 2018 – proved to be in vain as Hasan was once again the star of the show on the final day.

Temba Bavuma made 61 and Rassie van der Dussen 48, but South Africa lost seven wickets for only 33 runs, Shaheen Shah Afridi also doing damage, taking 4-51.

Quinton de Kock fell for a golden duck, while Keshav Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada also failed to trouble the scorers.

Victory for Pakistan moved them up to fifth in the Test rankings and was their first series win since beating Bangladesh 12 months ago, bringing the Proteas back down to earth after their 2-0 defeat of Sri Lanka.

South Africa have now lost four of their past five series and are unable to respond with a victory over Australia on home soil after the series was postponed.

Hasan's Test-best stuns Proteas

South Africa could not contend with Hasan in the first innings and it was the same story on the final day of the series.

He saw the back of Van der Dussen and Faf du Plessis (five) in the morning session, then came to the party again with the second new ball

Hasan claimed the big wicket of Markram, who was caught by Imran Butt, then dismissed captain De Kock first ball before sending George Linde packing. Afridi also delivered for Pakistan, with Yasir Shah sealing victory by bowling Wiaan Mulder when he charged down the track.

Markam stakes captaincy claim

It proved to be a day to forget for the tourists, but Markram's knock was a major positive.

The opener showed his class, batting for over five and a half hours – hitting three sixes and finding the rope 13 times – as he staked his claim for the captaincy.

Afridi was ruled out after sustaining a knee ligament injury during the first Test against Sri Lanka last month.

The left-arm paceman's absence has presented Hasnain with an opportunity to join up with the squad for a tournament that starts in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday.

Hasnain has been playing for the Oval Invincibles in The Hundred, but will cut short that spell to report for international duty.

The 22-year-old quick has feature in 18 Twenty20 Internationals, taking 17 wickets at an average of 30.70.

Pakistan face fierce rivals India in their first Asia Cup match in Dubai on Sunday.

On Wednesday, Hope maintained a rich vein of form that has seen the batsman score centuries in consecutive series.  Against Pakistan, the opening batsman racked up 127 runs in an innings that featured 15 sumptuous fours.     

Despite occurring in a losing effort, the score saw Hope move past into fourth on the all-time list of most ODI hundreds for the West Indies.  His tally of 12 edged him ahead of the likes of Gordon Greenidge (11), Viv Richards (11), and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (11).  Desmond Haynes (17), Brian Lara (19), and Chris Gayle (25) are the batsmen ahead of Hope.

“He continues to show his class,” Pooran said, following the match.

“He is one of the best batsmen in this format and today was a magnificent innings, especially in those tough conditions he just showed his class today,” he added.

Hope’s cameo led the team to an innings score of 305 but Pakistan successfully chased down the total with four balls remaining.

The incident took place during the 2004 ICC Champions Trophy in a semi-final encounter between the teams.  Lara, then the West Indies captain, was on 30 when the brutish delivery from the Rawalpindi Express spat off the pitch and caught the evading batsman in the back of the neck.

Sammy, then a 19-year-old, had watched from the bench.

“When I made my debut for the West Indies in the Champions Trophy, I remember Pakistan playing West Indies at the Rose Bowl in Hampshire. They were opening with Mohammad Sami, Waqar Younis, and Shoaib Akhtar," Sammy told The Current.

 "I saw Shoaib Akhtar bowling a bouncer to Brian Lara and hit him in the head. Brian Lara fell back, probably almost unconscious. I was sitting, and I was 19 years old next to Dwayne Bravo. I literally questioned whether I wanted to play cricket again. Shoaib Akhtar did that to me,” he added.

After staying down for a while, Lara left the field injured and did not return.  The West Indies, however, ended up winning the match easily with seven wickets to spare.

Holder crafted a crucial second-innings knock of 58 and took 4 wickets as the team held on for a nail-biting one-wicket win to take the lead.

However, the top allrounder has also gained plenty of attention for his actions off the field, particularly for the mentorship shown to young fast-bowler Jayden Seales.  Seales was one of the highlights of the first match for the Windies after claiming an impressive five-wicket second innings haul.

“Obviously, Jason is the number one all-rounder in the world.  He is very crucial, and he has done a fantastic job, obviously with Jayden.  I see them having a lot of chats,” Brathwaite told members of the media via an online press conference on Thursday.

“All the guys are doing a good job, they all came together but obviously Jason is the number one all-rounder in the world so obviously he brings a lot of value.”

Brathwaite replaced Holder as captain of the team in February, following a successful tour of Bangladesh, the team has since drawn with Sri Lanka and lost to South Africa.

Head Coach of the West Indies Test team, Andre Coley, heaped praise onto his players after their historic win in the second Test against Pakistan in Multan, the regional side’s first Test win on Pakistani soil since 1990. After being dominated by 127 runs in the first Test from January 17-19, the West Indies rebounded with a 120-run win from January 25-27 to secure a draw in their final series of this World Test Championship cycle.

The umpires took little time to call off the first of a four-match T20I series as the decision was made without a ball being bowled at the ground in Leeds.

England will have to wait to assess the fitness of the returning Jofra Archer, with Pakistan also having no chance to evaluate their players as the only side to still not announce their World Cup squad yet.

Edgbaston will play host to the next meeting on Saturday, with clashes at Cardiff and The Oval to follow before the pair head off to the United States for the T20I tournament in June.

After impressive performances from David Miller, who missed this match with a calf injury, and George Linde in the first T20I in Durban, Hendricks took his chance, helping the Proteas surpass their 207 target with three balls left.

Pakistan lost Mohammad Rizwan in the powerplay for just 11 runs, but Saim Ayub, who lasted the entire 20 overs, steadied the ship as he steadily racked up 98 off 57 balls.

Babar Azam (31) and Ifran Khan Niazi (30) pushed them towards their respectable 206-5, though they will feel they could have got more if they had not lost three quick wickets between the 12th and 15th overs.

South Africa got off to a slow start though, with Ryan Rickleton dismissed for just two runs by Jahanad Khan (2-40). However, his fellow opener Hendricks, who scored his first T20I century, soon found his rhythm with Rassie van der Dussen (66 not out).

Pakistan had no answers as they put together a 157-run third-wicket partnership, and though Abbas Afridi finally ended Hendricks' stand in the 18th over, Heinrich Klaasen (eight) stepped in to help get it over the line.

Data Debrief: Record-breaker

Hendricks was by far the stand out for the hosts, hitting seven fours and 10 sixes in his knock, as he claimed his first ton for South Africa in the format.

It was also the 18th time he has racked up a score of 50+ in T20Is, the most for South Africa, surpassing Quinton de Kock's record.

His partnership with Van der Dussen on the third wicket is also a new high for the Proteas, with their 157 runs beating AB de Villers and Richard Levi's tally of 133 in T20Is.

Pakistan contribued to those new records as well though, with 416 the highest match aggregate involving the two teams in this format.

Khawaja has been told by the ICC to keep his humanitarian appeal for the people of Palestine away from the cricket field. He was officially warned for wearing a black armband during the first Test between Australia and Pakistan in Perth.

He wanted to sport a black dove on his shoe and bat in the upcoming Boxing Day Test but even that was rejected by the ICC, and Holding says he is not “surprised” by their stance of “hypocrisy”.

“The ICC regulations say re messaging ‘approval shall not be granted for messages which relate to political, religious or racial activities or causes,” Holding explained.

“So how the f*** people were allowed to take a knee for BLM (Black Lives Matter), and stumps were covered with LGBTQ colors?” Holding questioned while speaking to The Weekend Australian.

Holding argued that the ICC has not made their stance clear.

“If it would have been some other organisation with a consistent track record, I would have been surprised, but not the ICC," he declared.

The fast-bowling legend accused the ICC of being “hypocrite” and have shown again that “they lack spine as a governing body”.

Like Holding, other observers believe that by banning Khawaja's move, as well as his subsequent request to adorn his bat with the peace symbol of a dove holding an olive branch, the ICC has inadvertently boosted his message, while revealing its own hypocrisy.

During the West Indies tour of England in July, players took the knee in support of the global movement for equality for people of colour. However, that has since ended with subsequent tours triggering the ire of the former West Indies fast bowler.

"Now that the West Indies team has gone home, that doesn't mean that you still shouldn't be respecting the message and exactly what it stands for," Holding said.

He explained that the movement had generated global momentum and awareness. The ECB should do what it can to help maintain it.

"So for Pakistan and England not to then take that signal - because you are not doing anything other than going down on one knee - you are not chanting anything, you are not saying anything, all you are doing is making a signal to keep the awareness going.”

Meanwhile, the ECB responded to the SkySports commentator that while they respect his opinion, they have chosen to go in the direction of a more sustainable form of action.

"Many of cricket’s teams, both domestic and international, took the knee in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter Movement for their opening games, with the Men's Test Team continuing throughout the entire series with the West Indies,” the ECB statement said.

"Our response to the Black Lives Matter debate has been to view the issue alongside the whole inclusion and diversity space, to ensure that long-term and sustainable change happens for all communities who are not treated equally. We remain committed to this philosophy.

"Our refreshed inclusion and diversity strategy, published at the start of the West Indies Series, commits to several comprehensive initiatives that focus on eliminating discrimination from all areas of cricket.

"England's men’s and women’s players all remain committed to using their reach and influence to keep promoting inclusion and diversity in perpetuity, for the betterment of cricket and sport. We understand the importance of symbolism, and its power to keep an issue high on the agenda, our goal is to ensure we deliver both reach and change.”

However, believes that change will require more than just education.

"It is not a matter of which one is more important. Education is very important - I said that when I had my talk on Sky - but you can't just say that education is the most important thing and do nothing else. We have still got to keep the awareness going.

“I don’t care about any politics behind the Black Lives Matter – I just care about those three words. Black Lives Matter. And it’s time for the world to accept that black lives matter and move the entire world towards that agreement and that realisation because it is obvious that we need to do something in this world if we are going to get equality for all races and all nations.”

The Qalandars made 198-6 off their 20 overs after being put in to bat by the Gladiators.

Hope led the way with a 32-ball 47 including five fours and a six. Zimbabwean all-rounder Sikandar Raza provided good support with a rapid 16-ball 32 and Mirza Baig was also in a destructive mood with 31 off just 15 balls.

Afghan leg-spinner Qais Ahmad took 2-36 from his four overs. West Indian Odean Smith also took a pair of wickets in his four overs and went for 41 runs.

The Gladiators reply never really got off the ground with only Jason Roy providing some tense moments for the Qalandars with a brisk 48 off 30 balls including five sixes.

Pakistani speedster Shaheen Shah Afridi was chief destroyer for the Qalandars with 3-22 from his four overs while South African all-rounder David Wiese, who now represents Namibia in international cricket, took 3-23 from his four overs.

Chasing a challenging 306 for victory from their 50 overs, Babar scored 103 from 107 balls and only hit nine fours as Pakistan achieved their target with four balls to spare.

He featured in a 103-run second-wicket partnership with Imam-ul-Haq who made 65 from 71 balls after Fakhar Zaman was dismissed by Jayden Seales in the seventh over when Pakistan had reached 26.

Babar and Mohammad Rizwan then added an additional 108 for the third wicket before he was dismissed by Alzarri Joseph in the 42^nd with the score at 237.

Rizwan fell to the bowling of Romario Shepherd for 59 in the 45^th over with the match still evenly balanced with Pakistan needing 50 for victory.

Khushdil Shah swung the match in Pakistan’s favour when he smashed an unbeaten 41 from 23 balls hitting four sixes along the way. The 47^th over proved to be decisive as he smeared Shepherd over the boundary ropes for three consecutive sixes in an over that yielded 20 and at the end of which Pakistan needed only 24 from the last 18 balls.

He hit his fourth from the penultimate ball of Shepherd’s next over leaving Pakistan to get six runs from the final over.

Mohammad Nawaz duly obliged hitting Seales back over his head for six to seal the victory.

Alzarri Joseph bowled well for his figures of 2-55 while Seales ended with 1-53. Shah’s onslaught on Shepherd resulted in the bowler giving up 70 runs from his nine overs, half of them scored from his last two overs.

Earlier, Shai Hope scored his 12^th ODI century as the West Indies batted well for their 305-8 from their allotment.

After losing his opening partner Kyle Mayers for just three in the third over with the West Indies on nine, Hope and Shamarh Brooks repaired the early damage with a second-wicket partnership of 154 before Brooks was brilliantly caught at short third man by Shadab Khan off the bowling of Nawaz for 70.

Cameos of 21 from 16 balls by Captain Nicholas Pooran, 32 from 23 balls from Rovman Powell and 25 from 18 by Shepherd carried the West Indies past 300.

Though he proved expensive Haris Rauf was the best of the Pakistan bowlers with 4-77 from his 10 overs. Shaheen Shah Afridi took 2-55.

It was a nervy start by Pakistan, who lost two wickets in the first three overs, but captain Babar Azam eventually finished as their top scorer, limping to 44 after a slow power play.

However, the US bowled well, with Nosthush Kenjige proving a particular thorn in their side as he finished with 3-30. Pakistan ended on 159-7, with the help of Shadab Khan's 40.

Monank Patel brought up his 50 off 38 balls at the end of the 13th over before being caught by Rizwan, with the home fans starting to believe they could be watching a major upset.

Though two wickets in seven balls slightly dented the mood, the US finished the second innings strongly, with Aaron Jones plundering 36, including two boundaries, before Nitish Kumar struck a four on the final ball to keep the game alive.

Jones and Harmeet Singh caused more problems in the super over, impressing with an 18-0 as Pakistan failed to find any composure.

Ultimately, it was Kumar who proved the hero once more, as he caught out Iftikhar Ahmed as Pakistan failed to chase down the target, and the hosts sit top of Group A after two victories.

Data Debrief: Pakistan stunned

Another pick of the bunch in the US' bowlers was Saurabh Netravalkar, who finished on 2-18, before taking the all-important wicket in the super over. He has now become the top wicket-taker for the US in T20Is with 29, going past Nisarg Patel's 27. 

Steven Taylor has also broken the record for the most catches by a fielder (10) in T20Is for the US, going past Patel's nine. 

And despite being on the losing side, Amar created some history of his own as he became the top scorer in T20Is with 4067 runs, surpassing Virat Kohli's 4038.

The left-arm paceman has not played for his country since April 2017, but remains as driven as ever to showcase his talents on the international stage.

Tanvir was the leading wicket-taker when Northern won the National T20 Cup late last year and is determined to catch Pakistan head coach Misbah-ul-Haq's eye with a fruitful Pakistan Super League campaign for Multan Sultans.

Mohammad Hafeez, 39, and Shoaib Malik, 38, have recently been recalled by Misbah and 35-year-old Tanvir believes his skill and experience can also be invaluable for Pakistan.

The quick told Omnisport: "I feel that if you don't have the inspiration to play for your country there is no point in playing cricket.

"I started playing when I was seven or eight years old with the dream of playing for my country, that gave me inspiration and I worked hard, made it and played for my country.

"I have always wanted to play well and show my worth. Unfortunately for around two and a half years or so, I didn't play for Pakistan but I'm still inspired to do that and the PSL is going to be key not only for me, but many players trying to play for Pakistan.

"The T20 team is not settled at the moment and the places are pretty much open, so I'm still fancying my chances."

Tanvir says the appointment of Misbah to replace Mickey Arthur has given him renewed hope of wearing the famous green shirt once again.

He added "The mindset is different, Mickey came with a different mindset and approach, he was just giving chances to youngsters.

"On his behalf fair enough, I won't argue about it but Misbah has a different mindset. We have seen more experienced players such as Shoaib Malik and Hafeez coming back into the team, that means age is not an issue and anybody can get a chance.

"That is how it should be, if someone is doing well. You want to win games for your country, it doesn't matter if you are 35 years old or 20 years old, the motivation is to win the game.

"If someone comes into the game with a lot of experience and still wins you games, that is a plus-plus for you instead of youngsters coming in with no experience.

"We all know the pressure of playing T20 cricket, things change very quickly and you have to make instant decisions. Having that experience gives you more confidence in yourself.

"I've not been playing international cricket, but I've been playing in high-quality leagues very close to the level of international cricket. I believe I can serve my country well again.

"The T20 World Cup is in sight this year and there is one next year as well, so I'm fancying my chances.

"I'm right on top of my game, fitness-wise and performance-wise I'm pretty much there, PSL is the key now.

"I had a conversation with Misbah and he was pretty much clear, as other key people have said, we will be looking at PSL, then check on fitness and performance."

The wicket-keeper-batter was a surprise omission from the hosts' squad for their pair of games over the new year period with the Black Caps.

Rizwan was replaced by former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed, who returned to the red-ball fold for the first time since 2019, and was named player of the series with 335 runs.

Reflecting on his absence, the 30-year-old has disclosed that it was at his own instigation he was left out, as he felt his performances had not been up to the level required.

"You can ask the head coach Saqlain Mushtaq what I told him after the end of the England Test series," Rizwan told Cricket Pakistan in an interview.

"I personally thought that since I wasn't able to perform, I didn't deserve to play in the next series."

Following a score of 104 not out against Australia in March last year, Rizwan failed to make a half-century in his following six Test appearances.

When that run culminated with a rough series against England shortly before Christmas, he acknowledged he was not matching his own standards, and was delighted to see his replacement flourish.

"I was happy to see Sarfaraz perform because that is what I wanted," he added.

"Sarfaraz has been performing in domestic cricket and deserves his chance now.

"I asked for his inclusion. Whoever performs best for Pakistan deserves to play. Some players said that every player goes through this phase, and you can't sit on the bench based on few failures.

"But I went to the coach and captain myself and told them that you can drop me because I haven't performed.

"Two players are witnesses to this conversation."

The explosive batsman has been named in the squad for next month's World Cup in Australia, having last played for England in a T20I fixture against West Indies in March 2019.

Hales was dropped from that year's World Cup-winning squad after testing positive for recreational drugs prior to the tournament, while then white-ball captain Eoin Morgan cited a "complete breakdown in trust" for his continued exile since.

However, the 33-year-old was recalled after an injury to Jonny Bairstow, and could open on Tuesday when England play the first of their seven-matches series in Pakistan.

"[Being left out of the 2019 World Cup squad] was extremely painful," he admitted. "It's your worst nightmare: to be involved in a World Cup squad, missing out on the eve of it.

"It was brilliant to see the team lifting it, but at the same time, it eats at you inside that you should have been part of it, and you weren't.

"I guess that drives you on, to improve as a person and a cricketer and get that spot back that you feel you deserve.

"I did think that the chance would not come again, for sure. At times, I felt like I wouldn't get this chance again.

"I felt like I'd been playing the best cricket of my career over those three years as well, so to get this chance again at this time is something I'm really proud of and something I'm really looking forward to. I feel like I can help push this team forward."

He continued: "I think I have changed. I've definitely matured. I'm comfortably into my 30s now and turning into a veteran. I feel as though I've grown as a person. Where I am at the moment – on and off the field – is probably the best of my career so far.

"I'm treating this as a blank canvas and only looking to the future now. I'm really looking forward to the next two weeks in Pakistan and what the World Cup can bring."

The hosts levelled the three-Test series on Thursday after wrapping up a 152-run win in Multan.

However, it could have been a different story but for fielding errors at crucial stages for the visitors, Jamie Smith and Joe Root notably dropping catches to dismiss Salman Agha, whose subsequent knock of 63 helped Pakistan seal victory with a day to spare.

Stokes, who returned to action following a hamstring injury, could not hide his frustration during a difficult day for England, but insisted he would not let his emotions get the better of him again.

"No one means to drop catches, but it just proves how important catches are in these subcontinent conditions, they don't come along that often," he told Sky Sports.

"I actually apologised to the group last night. It's the first time in my captaincy that I've let my emotions and how I was feeling with the way the game was unfolding show in my body language.

"I owned up to that and was very annoyed at myself for letting that out. It's something that I don't want to do or be seen to be doing, so I apologised to the group about that.

"Poor old me, I was a tired, grumpy old man last night! You won't see that happen again."

However, England coach Brendon McCullum defended the actions of his skipper.

"We all know how passionate Ben is, how much it means for him to play for England," he said.

"We've seen that through his bloody-mindedness to get back from injury, which was significant, and to do so in a nine-week timeframe and to have his first TM [Test match] in extreme conditions, 40 degrees, and be able to give what he gave to the side.

"I think, maybe, that's where some of that frustration led to - certainly, it wasn't directed at any of the players. It was more about trying to assess the rhythm of the game, and to impact on it."

Opener Khawaja was born in Islamabad, less than half an hour's drive from Pindi Cricket Stadium where he shone for Australia on Sunday.

Khawaja appeared on the verge of his 11th century in the longest format as Australia responded superbly to Pakistan's first innings' 476-4 declared.

But impatience perhaps got the better of Khawaja as he contributed to his own downfall, misjudging a reverse sweep and gloving Nauman Ali to Imam-ul-Haq at forward short-leg, with Aleem Dar forced to overturn his original not out decision following a review.

Khawaja's contribution, along with half-centuries from David Warner (68) and Marnus Labuschagne (69 not out), took the tourists to 271-2 – trailing by 205 runs when bad light stopped play.

"It's disappointing," Khawaja said of his failure to reach three figures. "Cricket is a funny game. Three runs – you bat so well for 97 and then you get out. You don't get a hundred, you come back in the changing room and it probably feels worse than getting a 20 in some respects.

"It's a bizarre feeling. Yeah, I would love to get a hundred out here. Rawalpindi, Islamabad – where I grew up.

"I think it would have brought a lot of joy. But at the same time, I think mum, dad, Rachel, my wife, would have loved me being out there.

"I was having a lot of fun. I was enjoying playing. To put it in perspective, I wasn't even in an Australian team a few months ago. So I'm very grateful to be here. I'm happy that I contributed to the team."

Khawaja made his return to the Australia side for the first time since 2019 for the fourth Test of the Ashes in January and scored a century in each innings in a man-of-the-match performance.

And after backing up that display with another of high quality and some fortune – twice Pakistan dropped potential catches of Khawaja – he added: "I felt really good today.

"I felt mentally in a really good spot coming into it, I guess. Probably because I've been out of the system. I've been out of Cricket Australia for two years. And now it's not the be-all and end-all anymore.

"I've been in and out of the team so much. I've been dropped. It doesn't matter. I just play the way I want to play. I just think of it as if I'm playing club cricket or Shield cricket back home. And that's how I take it for Australia now.

"Obviously, I'm a Muslim. I believe in God. I trust what happens. Good or bad, you have to take it equally. A lot of good things have happened in my life. Sometimes you want certain things to go a certain way and they don't happen. I think you just have to accept that and move on, and take the good with the bad. I'm very grateful."

Introduced to help bring context to 50-over cricket at the highest level, the Super League will be used as a qualification system for the next ICC World Cup, scheduled for 2023 in India.

There will be 13 teams involved – the 12 full members, as well as the Netherlands – and the top seven in the final table will automatically secure their place at the global tournament, the ICC confirmed in a statement.

All sides will play four series at home and away, with each consisting of three matches.

"The league will bring relevance and context to ODI cricket over the next three years, as qualification for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 is at stake," Geoff Allardice, ICC general manager for cricket operations, said.

"The Super League gives cricket fans around the world even more reasons to watch as the drama of league cricket unfolds.

"The decision last week to move the World Cup back to late 2023 gives us more time to schedule any games lost due to COVID-19 and preserve the integrity of the qualification process, meaning it will be decided on the field of play, which is important."

Reigning world champions England will kick things off this week when they start their series against Ireland, the first of three matches between the teams taking place at the Rose Bowl on Thursday.

"We're looking forward to playing cricket again and to the ICC Men's World Cup Super League," England white-ball captain Eoin Morgan said.

"Given the situation, it will be quite different to the last time we played at home, when we lifted the World Cup at Lord's, but it's nice to be starting our journey for the next edition of the tournament. 

"I'm sure cricket fans all over the world will be excited to see white-ball cricket resume and we're looking forward to the challenge."

Cricket’s world governing body publicly acknowledged for the first time since the T20 World Cup began that there have been teething issues with the surfaces.

While players and coaches have so far refused to criticise the pitches at the venue, BBC Sport understands India has privately voiced their unhappiness with the unpredictable bounce and two-paced nature of the strips in Eisenhower Park amid worries over the safety of their batters.

“The ICC recognise that the pitches used so far at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium have not played as consistently as we would have all wanted,” the ICC said in a statement.

“The world-class grounds team have been working hard since the conclusion of yesterday’s game to remedy the situation and deliver the best possible surfaces for the remaining matches.”

Concerns have grown over the unpredictable nature of surfaces after the first two fixtures played at the venue.

On Monday, Sri Lanka were bowled out by South Africa for 77 – their lowest score in T20s – while India dismissed Ireland for 96 on Wednesday.

India play Pakistan on Sunday at the venue in Eisenhower Park in one of the most eagerly-anticipated fixtures of the tournament with a capacity crowd of 32,000 expected.

ICC officials have maintained there are no contingency plans in place to switch any of the New York games to venues in Florida or Texas, both of which have natural turf strips.

The US is staging 16 of the 55 matches at the T20 World Cup, which it is co-hosting with the West Indies.

The pop-up stadium in New York cost $32 million to construct and was built inside eight months to much fanfare from the tournament organisers.

Six of the trays which transported the soil for the 10 Tahoma grass surfaces came from Australia before being shipped to Florida where the pitches were cultivated.

The soil variety has a high clay content, similar to the pitches in Adelaide.

They were then transported to New York by road and installed a few weeks before the tournament began.

The outfield is made up of Kentucky bluegrass, grown at a farm in New Jersey, on top of sand.

There was discontent with the pitch after Monday’s opening match in which South Africa were able to stroll to their victory target against Sri Lanka with 22 deliveries remaining, while India had 46 balls left when they hit the winning runs in another low-scoring match against Ireland.

It has meant the toss in New York has become pivotal in determining the outcome of the match, with the team bowling first at an advantage.

Batters have had to fend off short-pitched bowling, with balls climbing off a length while others skid along at ankle height through to the wicketkeeper.

A clear diagnosis for the problems has not yet been identified.

Similarly, the sizes of the boundaries – 75m and 65m on each side, and 71m straight – and slow outfield have inhibited run scoring with the boundary ropes unable to be pulled in because of ICC tournament guidelines.

As a result, the cricket spectacle delivered by both games so far has been largely underwhelming.

India fans were even cheering for Ireland at one point during their eight-wicket win, hoping the length of the game would be extended so they could see more of their team batting in the second innings.

Concerns have also been raised about the six pitches laid at the net training facility in nearby Cantiague Park.

Earlier this week, South Africa’s batters opted for throw downs as opposed to facing their own bowlers, and local net bowlers, because of injury worries.