(PTI Photo)
Former India opener Navjot Singh Sidhu expressed strong dissatisfaction with the pitch conditions during the semi-final match between Afghanistan and South Africa at Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad.
The pitch displayed inconsistent bounce and excessive seam movement throughout the match, resulting in Afghanistan being bowled out for a mere 56 runs in their innings. In response, South Africa comfortably chased down the target with 9 wickets in hand.
Navjot Singh Sidhu strongly criticized the ICC on Star Sports, condemning the poor quality of the pitch used in the Afghanistan-South Africa semi-final. He drew a comparison to the pitches in Nassau County, New York, where earlier matches in the group stages had been played.
“This is not just one instance. I can understand if you get an odd wicket (because of the irregularity of the pitch). But if you see, some balls have jumped off a length and hit the batters. This happened in the Nassau County as well,” Sidhu said
Sidhu emphasized that the pitch conditions have significantly impacted this World Cup and urged the ICC to avoid repeating the same mistake in the future.
“The pitch is the only factor that has marred this T20 World Cup. Whatever has happened has happened, but this should not happen in the future. Such pitches dent the thrill of a game of cricket,” he added.
Afghanistan’s batsmen struggled against the tall South African pacers, who exploited extra bounce and lateral movement on a lively pitch. Marco Jansen, in particular, was formidable in his opening spell, claiming 3-16 and earning the Player of the Match award. Left-arm wrist-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi also shone with 3 wickets, supported by Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje who took 2 wickets each.
Only Azmatullah Omarzai managed to reach double digits with 10 runs, while Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the tournament’s leading run-scorer, was dismissed for a duck.
South Africa faced early difficulties as Naveen-ul-Haq struck Quinton de Kock on the ribcage, and Fazalhaq Farooqi subsequently bowled him out. However, captain Aiden Markram and Reeza Hendricks guided South Africa to a comfortable victory.
Post-match, both Markram and Afghanistan’s coach Jonathan Trott criticized the pitch. Former England captain Michael Vaughan also joined in, criticizing both the pitch quality and event scheduling, alleging bias towards India by the ICC.
Looking ahead, all eyes are on the upcoming semi-final between India and England in Guyana, where a slower pitch favoring spinners is anticipated. The T20 World Cup 2024 final is scheduled for June 29 at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados.
