The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the official pitch ratings for T20 World Cup 2024was held between United States of America (USA) and West Indies. The ratings, eagerly awaited by fans and pundits alike, have sparked renewed debate about the quality of the playing surfaces used in the tournament, which ended more than a month ago.
Pitch ratings overview: A mixed bag
The ICC rated a total of 52 completed games, with the pitch ratings revealing a mix of satisfactory and interesting results. Of these, 31 pitches were evaluated ‘satisfactory,’ 18 was praised by one year ‘very good’ rating. However, the report also highlighted serious problems with three specific pitches, all of which received an ‘unsatisfactory’ rating.
For example, Grand Prairie Stadium in Texas and Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua were successively adopted. “very good” ratings for courses featuring excellent playing conditions. In contrast, the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York faced challenges, with some matches rated as such. “Unsatisfactory”, indicating suboptimal pitch conditions. Overall pitch quality has varied significantly throughout the 2024 T20 World Cup, with some venues providing a superior playing surface compared to others.
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Unsatisfactory pitches: A cause for concern
The most interesting ratings were attributed to the pitches at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York and the Brian Lara Cricket Stadium in Trinidad.
- Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York: This temporary venue hosted eight matches in the group stage, two of which – South Africa vs Sri Lanka and India vs Ireland – get the lowest ratings possible. The surfaces have been criticized for inconsistent bounce and excessive assistance to seam bowlers, leading to extremely low output. Sri Lanka beat South Africa by just 77 runs, while Ireland managed just 96 runs against India. The ICC’s ‘unsatisfactory’ rating for these two matches highlights the challenges faced by batsmen on these pitches.
- Brian Lara Cricket Stadium, Trinidad: The third pitch inspected was the pitch used for the semi-final between Afghanistan and South Africa. In this important meeting, Afghanistan They were dismissed for just 56 runs in 12 overs, their lowest T20I score and their lowest ever in a men’s T20 World Cup semi-final. The pitch’s performance in this match drew considerable criticism and led to an “unsatisfactory” rating by the ICC.
Breakdown of ICC 52 pitch rankings for T20 World Cup 2024:
| Sl. no. | History | Encounter | Location | Pitch Rating | External Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 01-24 | 1ST T20I USA Vs CAN | Grand Prairie Stadium, Texas | Very good | Very good |
| 2 | 02-24 June | 2nd T20I WI vs PNG | Guyana National Stadium, Georgetown | Satisfactory | Satisfactory |
| 3 | 02-24 June | 3RD T20I NAM Vs OMN | Kensington Oval, Bridgetown | Satisfactory | Very good |
| 4 | June 03-24 | 4TH T20I SL Vs SA | Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York | Unsatisfactory | Satisfactory |
| 5 | June 03-24 | 5TH T20I AFG Vs UGA | Guyana National Stadium, Georgetown | Satisfactory | Satisfactory |
| 6 | June 04-24 | 6TH T20I NLD Vs Nep | Grand Prairie Stadium, Texas | Satisfactory | Very good |
| 7 | June 04-24 | 7TH T20I ENG Vs SCO | Kensington Oval, Bridgetown | Satisfactory | Very good |
| 8 | 05-24 June | 8TH T20I IND Vs IRL | Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York | Unsatisfactory | Satisfactory |
| 9 | 05-24 June | 9TH T20I PNG vs UGA | Guyana National Stadium, Georgetown | Satisfactory | Very good |
| 10 | 05-24 June | 10TH T20I AUS Vs OMN | Kensington Oval, Bridgetown | Satisfactory | Very good |
| 11 | June 06-24 | 11TH T20I USA Vs PAK | Grand Prairie Stadium, Texas | Very good | Very good |
| 12 | June 06-24 | 12th T20I NAM Vs SHOT | Kensington Oval, Bridgetown | Satisfactory | Very good |
| 13 | 07-24 June | 13TH T20I CAN Vs IRL | Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York | Satisfactory | Satisfactory |
| 14 | 07-24 June | 14TH T20I SL Vs BAN | Grand Prairie Stadium, Texas | Very good | Very good |
| 15 | 07-24 June | 15TH T20I NZ Vs AFG | Guyana National Stadium, Georgetown | Satisfactory | Satisfactory |
| 16 | June 8-24 | 16TH T20I NLD Vs SA | Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York | Satisfactory | Satisfactory |
| 17 | June 8-24 | 17TH T20I AUS Vs ENG | Kensington Oval, Bridgetown | Satisfactory | Very good |
| 18 | June 8-24 | 18TH T20I WI Vs UGA | Guyana National Stadium, Georgetown | Satisfactory | Very good |
| 19 | 09-24 June | 19TH T20I IND Vs PAK | Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York | Satisfactory | Satisfactory |
| 20 | 09-24 June | 20TH T20I OMN Vs SHOT | Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua | Very good | Very good |
| 21 | June 10-24 | 21ST T20I SA Vs BAN | Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York | Satisfactory | Very good |
| 22 | June 11-24 | 22ND T20I PAK Vs CAN | Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York | Satisfactory | Very good |
| 23 | June 11-24 | 24TH T20I AUS vs NAM | Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua | Very good | Very good |
| 24 | June 12-24 | 25TH T20I USA Vs IND | Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York | Satisfactory | Very good |
| 25 | June 12-24 | 26TH T20I WI Vs NZ | Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad | Satisfactory | Very good |
| 26 | June 13-24 | 27TH T20I BAN Vs NLD | Arnos Vale Ground, Kingstown | Satisfactory | Very good |
| 27 | June 13-24 | 28TH T20I ENG Vs OMN | Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua | Satisfactory | Very good |
| 28 | June 13-24 | 29TH T20I AFG vs PNG | Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad | Satisfactory | Very good |
| 29 | June 14-24 | 31ST T20I SA Vs Nep | Arnos Vale Ground, Kingstown | Satisfactory | Very good |
| 30 | June 14-24 | 32ND T20I NZ Vs UGA | Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad | Satisfactory | Very good |
| 31 | June 15-24 | 34TH T20I NAM Vs ENG | Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua | Very good | Very good |
| 32 | June 15-24 | 35TH T20I AUS Vs SHOT | Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia | Very good | Very good |
| 33 | June 16-24 | 36TH T20I PAK Vs IRL | Central Broward Regional Park Stadium, Florida | Very good | Very good |
| 34 | June 16-24 | 37TH T20I BAN Vs Nep | Arnos Vale Ground, Kingstown | Satisfactory | Very good |
| 35 | June 16-24 | 38TH T20I SL and NLD | Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia | Very good | Very good |
| 36 | June 17-24 | 39TH T20I NZ vs PNG | Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad | Satisfactory | Very good |
| 37 | June 17-24 | 40TH T20I WI Vs AFG | Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia | Very good | Very good |
| 38 | June 19-24 | 41ST T20I USA Vs SA | Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua | Very good | Very good |
| 39 | June 19-24 | 42ND T20I ENG Vs WI | Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia | Very good | Very good |
| 40 | June 20-24 | 43RD T20I AFG Vs IND | Kensington Oval, Bridgetown | Satisfactory | Very good |
| 41 | June 20-24 | 44TH T20I AUS Vs BAN | Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua | Very good | Very good |
| 42 | June 21-24 | 45TH T20I ENG Vs SA | Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia | Very good | Very good |
| 43 | June 21-24 | 46TH T20I USA Vs WI | Kensington Oval, Bridgetown | Very good | Very good |
| 44 | June 22-24 | 47TH T20I IND Vs BAN | Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua | Very good | Very good |
| 45 | June 22-24 | 48TH T20I AFG vs AUS | Arnos Vale Ground, Kingstown | Satisfactory | Very good |
| 46 | June 23-24 | 49TH T20I USA Vs ENG | Kensington Oval, Bridgetown | Satisfactory | Very good |
| 47 | June 23-24 | 50TH T20I WI Vs SA | Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua | Satisfactory | Very good |
| 48 | June 24-24 | 51ST T20I AUS Vs IND | Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia | Very good | Very good |
| 49 | June 24-24 | 52ND T20I AFG Vs BAN | Arnos Vale Ground, Kingstown | Satisfactory | Very good |
| 50 | June 26-24 | 53RD T20I AFG Vs SA | Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad | Unsatisfactory | Very good |
| 51 | June 27-24 | 54TH T20I IND Vs ENG | Guyana National Stadium, Georgetown | Satisfactory | Very good |
| 52 | June 29-24 | 55TH T20I SA Vs IND | Kensington Oval, Bridgetown | Very good | Very good |
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