Nassau County International Stadium in New York.
The pitches for the first two matches at New York's Nassau County Stadium during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024, as well as the one for the semi-final between Afghanistan and South Africa at the Brian Lara Academy in Tarouba, have been rated "unsatisfactory" by the ICC.
The verdict comes nearly two months after the tournament, which India won by beating South Africa by seven runs in the final on June 29.
In those two games at the Nassau County Stadium, Sri Lanka were skittled out for 77 against South Africa on June 3 while Ireland were dismissed for 96 by India two days later.
In the second game, a number of players from both sides copped were struck on the body as a result of the uneven bounce in the pitch.
Indian captain Rohit Sharma had to retire hurt as a precautionary measure after being hit on the upper arm by Josh Little.
India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant and Ireland batsman Harry Tector were also struck as a result of the nature of the surface.
At the time, Andy Flower had said the pitch in New York was "bordering on dangerous," while former England captain Michael Vaughan called it "shocking."
The venue in New York was readied in five months. Damian Hough, chief curator at the Adelaide Oval, was brought in by the ICC to prepare the drop-in pitches.
But after criticism from various quarters, the ICC had acknowledged that the pitches there had been substandard and the short turnaround time between matches didn't help. New York hosted eight games in two weeks.
Remedial work was carried out, and ahead of the following game, between Canada and Ireland, areas where grass shoots were growing under the cracks were covered with topsoil and rolled in to make the surface much flatter.
The surfaces used for the subsequent fixtures in New York, including India vs Pakistan, where 119 beat 113 for 7, have been rated as "satisfactory".
The bigger point of scrutiny, perhaps more than New York, was on the surface for the semi-final, where Afghanistan were bowled out for 56 at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy.
The wicket was wildly unpredictable as some deliveries rolled along the ground while a few reared up from a similar spot.
At the time, Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott was clear "that's not a pitch you want to play a semi-final on".
Generally, surfaces at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy were a challenge. West Indies, who scored 149 there and defended it narrowly against New Zealand, were tottering at 30 for 5 at one stage.
The ICC rates pitches, and outfields, for all international games on a scale of very good to unfit: very good, good, satisfactory, unsatisfactory and unfit.
The surface at Providence for the India vs England semi-final was rated "satisfactory", while the Kensington Oval deck for the final between India and South Africa was rated "very good".
The ICC was largely happy with the state of the outfields, with only New York and Guyana receiving "satisfactory" ratings, while the others were "very good".
ICC Women's T20 World Cup to be moved to the UAE
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed that the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 will be moved from Bangladesh to the United Arab Emirates.
The event, scheduled to take place from October 3–20, will now be staged in Dubai and Sharjah.
The venue was changed following the countrywide anti-government agitations in Bangladesh through July and early August, which ended when Sheikh Hasina, the prime minister, resigned and fled to India. An interim government has been put in place by the army since, but widespread incidents of vandalism and looting, as well as acts of violence, have been reported from Bangladesh.
As a result, Australia, India, New Zealand and the United Kingdom (England and Scotland) had issued travel advisories to their citizens to not travel to Bangladesh.
ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice confirmed the move in a press release on Tuesday.
“It is a shame not to be hosting the Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh, as we know the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) would have staged a memorable event. I would like to thank the team at the BCB for exploring all avenues to try and enable the event to be hosted in Bangladesh, but travel advisories from the governments of a number of the participating teams meant that wasn’t feasible. However, they will retain hosting rights," Allardice said.
"We look forward to taking an ICC global event to Bangladesh in the near future. I’d also like to thank the Emirates Cricket Board for stepping in to host on behalf of the BCB and Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe for their generous offers of support, and we look forward to seeing ICC global events in both of those countries in 2026," he added.
ICC Chair Greg Barclay confirmed to the Board that he will not stand for a third term and will step down from the post when his current tenure finishes at the end of November. Barclay was appointed as the Independent ICC Chair in November 2020, before being re-elected in 2022.
Current directors are now required to put forward nominations for the next Chair by August 27, 2024, and if there is more than one candidate, an election will be held with the term of the new Chair commencing on December 1, 2024.
Hayley Matthews ‘Life Stories’ documentary released
The Massy Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) will be releasing a new documentary on the cricketing journey of Hayley Matthews, the number one ranked T20 all-rounder.
The ‘Life Stories’ film follows Matthews from her childhood in Barbados to winning the T20 World Cup and claiming the WCPL title. As a cricketer who is a regular in both the international and global franchise game, her story as a superb athlete in multiple disciplines to the top of world cricket is brilliantly told by Director, Paul Pritchett-Brown and Director of Photography, Arjun Choudary.
The film will be broadcast on Willow in the USA, TNT Sport in the UK, TV6 in Trinidad, Fancode in India, Fox Sports in Australia and SportsMax in the Caribbean. The film will also be available to watch on the Caribbean Premier League’s YouTube channel.
The film’s Director, Paul Pritchett-Brown, said: “It was a real pleasure to work with Hayley and her family to produce this film. The final product is a testament to their commitment to helping us tell this story. Hayley is one of the most impressive athletes the Caribbean has produced, and it was an honour to be able to make this film about her journey.”
Pete Russell, CEO of the CPL and Executive Producer of this film, said: “It is so important that we take the time to tell the stories of the wonderful cricketers that bring our tournaments to life, and this film is a beautiful example of what can be done when given this level of access. I would like to thank Hayley and her family for their commitment to the project and I am looking forward to the cricketing world enjoying this brilliantly put together film.”
Hayley Matthews said: “It was a fantastic experience to work with the CPL team to put together this documentary on my journey into cricket and myself and my family are really excited for the world to see it. My story has many more chapters left to be told but it is great to able to showcase how I got to where I am today.”
Pope: Stokes will 'let me do my own thing' as stand-in England captain
Ollie Pope believes Ben Stokes will let him "do his own thing" when he steps up as England captain in the all-rounder's absence.
Stokes suffered a hamstring injury playing in The Hundred earlier this month, ruling him out of their three-Test series against Sri Lanka.
England are looking to build on their 3-0 sweep of West Indies in July, in which Pope shone, scoring a sixth Test hundred and two half-centuries.
The 26-year-old, England's usual vice-captain, will still have Stokes' guidance if needed as he is due to be in the dressing room for the Tests despite his injury.
Pope admitted he had already turned to the 33-year-old for advice but is ready to step into the role for the first Test.
"It is still Stokesy's team and if I want to lean on him, I can, but I think he will let me do my own thing. He has said he is happy to do that," Pope said.
"He will be watching and chat with Baz [Test coach Brendon McCullum] so I can have those conversations in the intervals if I think something needs to change.
"I know how well he has managed our bowlers, especially, so I have picked his brains on it, but it will be a lot of the same messages with a different voice and in my own way.
"It's about not overcomplicating it for me. I think I read the game fairly well and Stokesy and I have often been of the same mindset. As the series goes on, it will let itself out for me.
"Brooky has a great cricket brain, [Joe Root] too, so there is plenty of experience out there to bounce a few ideas off.
"Everyone is pretty clear how they want to go about this week and the series in general."
England have won their last three Test series against Sri Lanka, one at home and two away, but were beaten by the tourists in 2014.
"We don't underestimate any of the teams that come over here," Pope added. "Our target is to win 3-0, but we realise Sri Lanka have got some good experienced guys who have played a lot of Test matches.
"The main focus is on ourselves. We will just play our best cricket and try and put on a good performance. Hopefully, the scoreboard at the end reflects that."
England’s first Test against Sri Lanka will begin on Wednesday at Old Trafford.
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