14 August,2024 08:35 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
Ground staff cover the pitch as rain beings to fall prior to a World Cup match (Photo: AFP)
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is yet to officially announce the ratings for the pitch and outfield of the 54 matches held in the United States and West Indies during the T20 World Cup 2024, despite seven and a half weeks having passed since the conclusion of the global event.
More than the matches in the West Indies, the focus is on the ratings of the eight games held at the Nassau County ground in New York state where the average first innings score across eight games was a modest 107.6 on the fresh drop-in pitches prepared by Adelaide curator Damian Hough.
A scan of the ICC website, where the ratings of pitch and outfield are uploaded, shows that no updates have been made since May 31, 2024, for international games (men and women).
The New York track and outfield received worldwide flak for the inconsistent bounce and slow outfield with even scores of 120 proving difficult to chase.
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It remains unclear why the pitch and outfield ratings haven't been uploaded in the ICC website even after 46 days. During the 50-over World Cup in India, the ICC uploaded pitch assessment ratings within a week of match completion, making the delay in this case particularly unusual.
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The match referees for those eight T20 World Cup 2024 matches in New York were Ranjan Madugalle (3 games), David Boon (3 games), Jeff Crowe and Richie Richardson.
The categories of ratings are very good, good, satisfactory, average, below average and New York, if fairly assessed, is likely to get average or below average rating for both pitch and outfield.
It is understood that with cricket being included in the Olympics programme for the Los Angeles edition in 2028, the ICC is keen to avoid adverse findings as far as quality of pitches are concerned during the global event in the United States.
In the next four years, the ICC will need to create necessary sporting infrastructure required to be a part of the Los Angeles Olympics as New York did not set a promising example for the sport's entry into the Games.
(With agency inputs)
