NEW DELHI: Pakistan coach Gary Kirsten defended the playing surface at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium following the team's narrow six-run defeat to India in a low-scoring T20 World Cup match.
Despite India's modest total of 119, their lowest ever against Pakistan in a T20 game, Pakistan fell short in their chase, sparking discussions about the pitch conditions.
T20 World Cup Schedule | Points Table
The venue, featuring a 'drop in' square laid a month before the tournament, has seen all five games produce low scores, raising concerns about the pitch's quality. After India's previous win over Ireland, former Zimbabwe international and ex-England team director Andy Flower labeled the pitch "dangerous" due to its uneven bounce.
However, Kirsten downplayed these criticisms, suggesting that the pitch, while challenging, was not hazardous. "I think it wasn't dangerous, I mean the odd one rose up, but not many. Generally, it kept a little bit lower, it was difficult to score from both batting sides and also a fairly slow outfield so it was never going to be a big total," he stated.
Kirsten acknowledged that a score of 140 would have been competitive, indicating that Pakistan had a strong chance to win after restricting India to 119. "I would have said 140 would have been a really good score on that pitch, so India didn't get that and so I thought we had the game," added the South African.
He also emphasized that low-scoring games could be equally entertaining and offered a different kind of contest compared to the high-scoring encounters typical of T20 cricket.
"We knew it was going to be tight, but you know sometimes it's fun seeing games like that as well, it's not always about sixes and hitting, getting 260 and 240's, you can actually have a really entertaining game on a 120 chase, so I don't think it's bad for the game," Kirsten explained.
1/9:T20 World Cup: Bumrah delivers as India beat Pakistan in low-scoring thriller
AFP
2/9:India beat Pakistan in New York
Jasprit Bumrah was the hero as India beat Pakistan by six runs in a low-scoring T20 World Cup thriller in New York on Sunday.AP
3/9:Bumrah's Heroics
India were bowled out by Pakistan for 119 in 19 overs. Defending the small total, Bumrah delivered crucial wickets and his 3-14 in four overs proved decisive as Pakistan fell just short ending on 113-7.ANI
4/9:Crowd Excitement
Despite a tricky batting surface that made batting difficult, a crowd of 34,028, a record attendance for an international cricket match in the USA, were given a tight contest that ebbed and flowed.AFP
5/9:Pakistan's Chase
Naseem Shah made a valiant effort, hitting the fourth and fifth balls of the last over for fours but India avoided any late drama to secure their second win of the tournament.ANI
6/9:Bumrah's Crucial Wickets
Bumrah picked up the vital wicket of Pakistan captain Babar Azam (13) and Mohammad Rizwan (31). Then, in the penultimate over, Bumrah conceded just three runs and removed Iftikhar Ahmed with his final ball.AP
7/9:Final Over Drama
<b>That left Pakistan needing 18 from the final over, a steep task on a difficult batting surface and it got more tricky when Arshdeep Singh dismissed Imad Wasim with the first ball.</b>AFP
8/9:Pakistan's Tough Loss
For Pakistan, their loss, coming after the shock defeat to the USA, leaves them without a point and with a lot of work to do against Canada and Ireland if they are to fight their way into the Super Eight stage.AP
9/9:Rain Interruption
Rain delayed the start of the game, played in front of a packed 34,000 fans, the majority of whom were backing tournament favourites India.AFPIn response to the criticism, the International Cricket Council (ICC) admitted that the pitches at the venue had not met the expected standards and committed to improving them for the remaining matches.
Three games remain at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, with the final match scheduled for Wednesday, when India will face co-hosts USA.
(With inputs from AFP)
