ICC gives pitch and outfield at Arnos Vale high marks

The International Cricket Council (ICC), on Tuesday, August 20, 2024, released the pitch ratings for all 52 completed matches of the ICC Men’s T 20 World Cup 2024, which was held in the West Indies and the USA in June.

The world cricket body deemed three pitches- two in the USA and one in the West Indies, to be ‘unsatisfactory’. Thirty-one pitches were rated ‘satisfactory’, and 18 playing strips received a rating of ‘very good’ in the ICC’s assessment. Two matches were abandoned during the tournament, while one ended with no result.

The Arnos Vale Cricket Ground in St. Vincent and the Grenadines received a ‘satisfactory’ rating on the pitches used in all five of the matches played on June 13, 14, 16, 22 and 24, 2024. For the outfield used on these five days, the rating was ‘very good’.

The Arnos Vale Cricket Ground hosted three Group Stage matches on June 13, 14, and 16, and two Super Eight matches on June 22 and 24, 2024.

All the captains when questioned during the post-match press briefing, gave the venue high marks, and fans also praised the quality of the outfield and pitch.

At the Nepal versus South Africa post-match press conference on Friday June 14, 2024, the South Africa captain, Aiden Markram, made the following comment when questioned about the pitch: “I’ve got nothing bad to say about it. Everything was really good. I thought both scores were under par with the bats. I don’t think the wicket reflects the scores that were scored on that pitch. The lights seemed really good. All in all, I would say a massive tick in the box for the stadium and the facility.”

Australia’s captain, Mitch Marsh pointed out in the post-match press briefing on June 22, 2024 that “Nothing surprised us today. We knew what to expect with the wicket. I don’t think it changed over the 40-over period…

“I’ve been told that…we are playing this pitch after 10 years. I think it’s been wonderful work done on this pitch. The pitch looks great for both batsmen and bowling …”.

And Anand Akhand from Bangladesh but resident in the USA, acting as the spokesperson for a group of Bangladeshi fans, expressed his pleasure and that of his fellow fans with the wicket at the Arnos Vale Cricket Ground.

Receiving ‘unsatisfactory’ ratings were the makeshift Nassau County Cricket Stadium in New York which hosted eight matches in the group stage. It received two ‘unsatisfactory’ ratings for the Sri Lanka vs South Africa, and India vs Ireland contests – the first two matches held at the ground.

Also receiving an unsatisfactory rating was the pitch at the Brian Lara Cricket Stadium in Trinidad for the Afghanistan versus South Africa semi-final game on June 26, 2024.