Kirsten defends the surface of New York

NEW YORK:

Pakistan coach Gary Kirsten defended the playing surface at the New York T20 Cricket World Cup ground on Sunday after his team lost to India in a low-scoring match.

India were bowled out for 119, their lowest ever score against Pakistan in a T20 match, but won by six wickets after their opponents fell just short.

All five matches at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, which features a “drop in” block, given a month before the tournament, were low-scoring affairs.

There was criticism of the surface after India’s win over Ireland last week, with former Zimbabwe international and ex-England team manager Andy Flower calling it “dangerous” because of the uneven bounce.

But Sunday’s wicket, while difficult to score on, only yielded the occasional ball that “popped” over a length and Kirsten said he had bowled an interesting game.

“I don’t think it was dangerous, I mean the single went up, but not many. It was generally kept a little bit lower, it was hard to score from both sides and also a pretty slow outfield, so it was never going to be a big total,” Kirsten said.

“I would have said 140 would have been a very good score on that pitch, so India didn’t get it and that’s how I thought we had the game,” the South African added.

Kirsten said that while the boundaries were at a higher level, unusual for the major T20 format, it just made for a different kind of competition.

“We knew it was going to be tight, but you know sometimes it’s fun to watch games like that too, it’s not always about sixes and the batting, getting 260 and 240, you can really have a really fun game in a chase of 120, so I don’t think it’s bad for the game,” he said.

Last week’s complaints led the International Cricket Council (ICC) to accept that the wickets were not up to standard for the opening matches at the ground.

“T20 Inc and the ICC recognize that the pitches used so far at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium have not played as consistently as we would all like,” the ICC said in a statement.

“The world-class pitch team has been working hard since the conclusion of yesterday’s race to rectify the situation and provide the best possible surfaces for the remaining races,” they added.

Three matches remain at the stadium with the last one coming on Wednesday when India take on the USA.