It looks like India was in for a complete surprise at the Nassau County International Cricket stadium as they took on Pakistan. Worrying factors like uneven bounce, lack of turn and extra pace provided by the pitch seemed to have vanished, giving the Pakistan bowlers an upper hand in the IND vs PAK game. Put in to bat first in a game whose start was delayed by rain, India lost their openers – Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli – in quick succession.
What changed in the pitch for IND vs PAK?
Pakistan’s pacers tasted success at the start of the innings, troubling the batters with menacing deliveries. The change in the nature of the surface was evident right from ball number one, especially with the uneven bounce disappearing and thereby lowering the pace of the deliveries as they were bowled. Naseem Shah struck twice, first to remove Virat Kohli and then clean bowled Axar Patel. Shaheen Afridi, on the other hand, got rid of skipper Rohit Sharma.
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Further, the pitch – which was known to favour pacers so far – turned out to be a blessing for the spinners. Ifthikar Ahmed and Imad Wasim succeeded in getting good turn for their deliveries, leaving Indian batters in a lurch.
While the pitch was known to have favoured the bowlers heavily in the previous games, it turned out to be batting friendly in IND vs PAK. All five games that have been held at the venue so far have been low-scoring games. However, the change in the nature of the surface has come in favour of the batters, thereby allowing more runs to be added on the board.
What did ICC say about the Nassau Stadium pitch in New York?
In a statement released on Thursday, the ICC acknowledged the issue with the pitch: “ICC recognises that the pitches used so far at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium have not played as consistently as we would have all wanted.”
The governing body assured fans that steps are being taken: “The world-class grounds team have been working hard since the conclusion of yesterday’s game to remedy the situation and deliver the best possible surfaces for the remaining matches.“
