New Delhi, June 6 Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan and ex-England captain Michael Vaughan slammed the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the "sub standard" pitch at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York after Men in Blue's opening game against Ireland on Wednesday (as per IST).
India defeated Ireland by eight wickets in their T20 World Cup opener as another match at the venue cast doubts over the surface. It was the second consecutive game at the stadium where the team was bowled out under 100 runs. Earlier, the clash between Sri Lanka and South Africa saw a similar result.
India skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and asked Ireland to bat first. Indian bowlers made the most of the conditions and bundled out them for 96 in 16 overs as the ball was keeping low and also showed awkward bounce
In reply, Rohit's 37-ball 52 coupled with Rishabh Pant's unbeaten 36 powered India to a thumping victory with 48 balls to spare.
Commenting on the nature of the surface, Vaughan criticised the ICC for keeping players safety in jeopardy by allowing them to play on the "sub standard surface".
"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,” Vaughan wrote on X.
Pathan also reiterated the former English captain's view and said the pitch is not suitable for playing a World Cup match. He added that if it had been in India, the match would have never taken place on it again.
“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,” Pathan said on Star Sports.
Commenting on the pitch and his injury in the post-match presentation, Rohit said the wicket was not settled down in the second innings and had enough for the bowlers.
“Yeah, just a little sore (the arm). I said it at the toss as well. Quite unsure of what to expect from the pitch. Not aware on what it is to play like on a pitch that’s five months old," he said
"I don’t think the wicket settled down even when we batted second. There was enough for the bowlers," Rohit added
India will next take on arch-rivals Pakistan at the same venue on Sunday, June 9.
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