"Unacceptable": ENG Great Blasts IND vs IRE Pitch, Jaffer's 'Excellent' Dig

Former England captain Michael Vaughan on Wednesday upbraided the pitch at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium here that is in use for the T20 World Cup match between India and Ireland, calling it a “sub-standard surface.” On a pitch that had plenty of bounce and seam, Indian bowlers, led by Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh, bundled out Ireland for a paltry 96.

“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 his X handle.

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 .. #INDvIRE — Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) June 5, 2024

Wasim Jaffer also took a dis

This is an excellent pitch in New York. Provided the idea was to get the American audience hooked on to Test cricket disguised as T20. #INDvIRE #T20WorldCup — Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) June 5, 2024

In fact, this was the second match in a row in New York a team was bowled out for a total less than 100.

On June 3, South Africa had fired out Sri Lanka for 77 en route their six-wicket victory.

The drop-in deck at the venue has been giving excess assistance to the pacers as South Africa's Anrich Nortje had grabbed four wickets, conceding a mere seven runs from his full quota of four overs, against the Lankans.

India will also play their next two matches at this venue -- against Pakistan on June 9 and against co-hosts USA on June 12. 

India's quartet of fast bowlers were simply menacing on a pitch offering variable bounce and seam movement dismantling Ireland for a lowly 96 in their opening T20 World Cup match here on Wednesday. Arshdeep Singh (2/35 in 4 overs), Mohammed Siraj (1/13 in 3 overs), Jasprit Bumrah (2/6 in 3 overs) and Hardik Pandya (3/27 in 4 overs) didn't give any breathing space to Irish batters who were made to look like novices in front of swing, seam and extra bounce that the four-pronged attack produced during the 14 out of 16 overs they bowled.

Such was their plight that none of the Irish batters save one --- Gareth Delany (26 n.o, 14 balls) could even cross 20-run mark individually. Delany's innings took them close to the 100-run mark.