Published 08:01 IST, June 4th 2024

'Tough one from a batting perspective': Nassau County pitch draws scrutiny after SA outsmarts SL

After the SA-SL T20 World Cup opener, skippers Aiden Markram and Wanindu Hasaranga vented their criticism over the drop-in pitch at the Nassau County Stadium.

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Nassau County International Cricket Stadium | Image: X/@T20WorldCup
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One of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup's major attractions is the newly built Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, which will feature the electric India vs Pakistan clash. The venue, which was built in just three months, has a drop-in pitch which mimics the conditions in Australia. As exciting as the makeshift venue looks, it has already begun to attract criticism, as the pitch conditions received flak after hosting the T20 World Cup opener, and it instantly drew a tone of disapproval by the captains of South Africa and Sri Lanka.

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Aiden Markram, Wanindu Hasaranga express displeasure with slow track at Nassau County Stadium after SA vs SL clash 

The Lankan Lions crashed out in the ICC T20 World Cup opener match between South Africa and Sri Lanka, scoring their lowest-ever T20 total of 77. It took the Proteas even 16.2 overs and six wickets to win, but not without some hardship. The leaders of both teams criticized the drop-in pitch at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium following the game.

"The batting was a little up and down... quite a tough wicket but we found some way to score runs. It's a tough one from a batting perspective.

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South Africa's Anrich Nortje and Keshav Maharaj celebrate the fall of a wicket during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium | Image: X/@ICC
 

"You try to take the pitch out of it, but if the ball misbehaves or there's low bounce, it's just one of those things and hopefully we can take some learnings out of it," SA skipper Aiden Markram said at the post-match presentation.

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Not just Markram, but Wanindu Hasaranga also vented his dissatisfaction with the drop-in pitch. Although he acknowledged that being on the pitch would provide his team an advantage over the next games. He understands the significance of evaluating the situation following a low-scoring match against South Africa.

"Our batters were looking at 160-170. To be honest this a 120 wicket, especially with our bowlers. We went with our bowling strength, that's why we batted first. We wanted to put up a good score and defend it. This is early in the tournament, as a team we wanted to do much better, especially in the batting. We know we have bowling strength, so if our batters do well we can go further," Wanindu Hasaranga said.

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08:01 IST, June 4th 2024