NEW YORK: Pakistan coach Gary Kirsten defended the playing surface at New York’s T20 Cricket World Cup venue on Sunday following his team’s defeat to India in a low-scoring contest.
India were bowled out for 119, their lowest ever score against Pakistan in a T20 game but won by six wickets after their rivals fell just short.
All five games at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, which features a ‘drop in’ square, laid a month before the tournament, have been low-scoring affairs.
There had been criticism of the surface after India’s win over Ireland last week with former Zimbabwe international and ex-England team director Andy Flower calling it “dangerous” because of the uneven bounce.
But Sunday’s wicket, while hard to score on, provided only the occasional ball which ‘popped’ off a length and Kirsten said it had made for an interesting game.
“I think it wasn’t dangerous, I mean the odd one rose up, but not many. Generally it kept a little bit lower, it was difficult to score from both batting sides and also a fairly slow outfield so it was never going to be a big total,” said Kirsten.
“I would have said 140 would have been a really good score on that pitch, so India didn’t get that and so I thought we had the game,” added the South African.
Kirsten said that while boundaries had been at a premium, unusually for the big-hitting T20 format, that simply made for a different kind of contest.
“We knew it was going to be tight, but you know sometimes it’s fun seeing games like that as well, it’s not always about sixes and hitting, getting 260 and 240’s, you can actually have a really entertaining game on a 120 chase, 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 hadn’t been up to standards for the opening games at the venue.
“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 have all wanted,” the ICC said in a statement.
“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,” they added.
Three games remain at the venue with the last coming on Wednesday when India face co-hosts USA.
Pakistan coach Kirsten defends New York surface
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Pakistan coach Kirsten defends New York surface
- All five games played at Nassau County International Stadium have been low-scoring affairs
- Three games remain at venue with last coming on Wednesday when India face co-hosts USA
China beat North Korea 2-1 to take top spot in Group B
- Uzbekistan finished third in the group with a 4-0 win over Bangladesh in Perth, also securing a spot in the knockout stage
SYDNEY: Defending champion China edged North Korea 2-1 in a physical, high-energy game Monday to take top spot in Group B in the Women’s Asian Cup.
The result sent North Korea into a quarterfinal Friday against Australia in Perth, where the hosts and 2023 World Cup semifinalists opened the tournament with a win over Philippines.
China and North Korea were already assured of quarterfinal spots with two wins apiece ahead of their showdown at Western Sydney Stadium. Uzbekistan finished third in the group with a 4-0 win over Bangladesh in Perth, also securing a spot in the knockout stage.
Playing in their first Women’s Asian Cup tournament since losing the 2010 final to Australia, North Korea only needed a draw against China to top the group. And they took the lead when Kim Kyong Yong finished off a counter-attacking goal in the 32nd minute, the first shot on goal in the game.
The lead was shortlived, though, with China equalizing two minutes later with Chen Qiaozhu’s stunning strike through traffic from the edge of the area.
China went ahead in a tense finish to the first half, when Wang Shuang’s goal was awarded after a VAR review deep in stoppage time.
The VAR decision to overturn the assistant referee’s offside call upset the North Korean players and led to coach Ri Song Ho being yellow carded by referee Thi Ly Le as his team protested on the sideline. The North Korean players didn’t return to the pitch before halftime was called.
Both teams had chances in the second half, with North Korea goalkeeper Yu Son Gum making a full-length diving save to Wang’s powerful left-foot shot in the 78th, and then 19-year-old Choe Il Son appearing to equalize two minutes later before being ruled offside after a VAR review.
In Perth, Dildora Nozimova scored twice in six minutes for Uzbekistan, her first just two minutes after entering the game as a substitute on the hour.
State of play
The top two teams in each of the three groups advance to the quarterfinals along with the two best third-place teams.
In Group A, South Korea edged Australia for top spot on goal difference after the 3-3 draw in Sydney on Sunday night. The South Koreans will play the third-place team from either Group B or Group C in the quarterfinals. Philippines still have a narrow chance of advancing after placing third, finishing with a win over Iran. That put Iran women’s team out of contention, and facing the prospect of a return to country at war.
In Group C, two-time champion Japan lead with six points ahead of their last group match against Vietnam, who are tied with Taiwan for second spot on three points. Taiwan finish the group stage against India.
