Aakash Chopra has raised serious concerns about the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) decision to stage the 2024 T20 World Cup on what he describes as virtually unplayable pitches. He particularly criticized the pitch used for the semi-final clash between South Africa and Afghanistan.
The Proteas secured a decisive victory over Afghanistan by nine wickets in the first semi-final held in Tarouba, Trinidad and Tobago, on Wednesday, June 26. They bowled out Rashid Khan and his team for a meager 56 runs and chased the target effortlessly, with nine wickets and 67 balls to spare.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra emphasized that the pitch at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy was a significant factor in Afghanistan’s collapse, irrespective of the formidable South African bowling attack.
“If it’s a semi-final game and a team gets out for 56, it means there was something in the pitch, whether it was Marco Jansen, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, or Tabraiz Shamsi. Only one person reached double figures, that was Azmatullah Omarzai, and you couldn’t have fought with 56. The ball was moving, going fast, left-right and up-down. What sort of tournament is this?” he remarked.
Chopra also scrutinized the surface for the second semi-final in Guyana, while acknowledging that the New York pitch was expected to be seamer-friendly.
“If the pitches are not proper, how can cricket be good? The pitch was not good in New York. It’s still okay as it was a drop-in and a new pitch. The ball was turning so much in Guyana, where teams were getting out for 75, and here the team was bowled out for 103,” Chopra elaborated.
New Zealand was bowled out for 75 at the Providence Stadium in Guyana in a Group C game against Afghanistan. England faced a similar fate, being bundled out for 103 in the second semi-final against India at the same venue.
“It’s seriously a third-class pitch” – Aakash Chopra on the Tarouba surface
Chopra pointed out that the Tarouba pitch was almost as unplayable as the one in New York.
“Everyone said the New York pitch is bad. Did anyone see the Tarouba pitch? It’s seriously a third-class pitch, and I had tweeted this on the 14th that you are focusing on New York, and someone should look there as well. Some balls were going along the pitch and some were hitting the head. What are you doing?” he questioned.
The renowned commentator added that Afghanistan was expected to struggle on such a surface.
“That’s why we said Afghanistan had very little chance when we were previewing that game because facing fast bowling was going to be very difficult on this pitch and the fast bowlers who have height would destroy you, and that’s exactly how it happened,” Chopra explained.
Chopra concluded by stating that the tournament has been an experiment to test the cricket fans’ patience and commitment. He pointed out that the first semi-final started at 6 AM IST and the second semi-final continued until 1:30 AM IST the next day.
“This tournament has been an experiment to test the cricket fans’ patience and commitment,” Chopra added. “The scheduling and pitch conditions have not been conducive to quality cricket, and it’s disappointing to see such mismanagement in a premier event like the T20 World Cup.”
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