The ongoing T20 World cup in USA is gaining popularity for a lot of reasons. And out of all the right and wrong reasons it is getting attention, one of the major concerns it is getting noticed is for the pitches. Every nation has a certain type of pitch made which suits their conditions, and there's nothing wrong in it. But the only condition is that the pitch should not be physically dangerous for the players who play the game. And if it is dangerous, then there is a significant threat to the existence of the game in that particular place. And currently looking at all the possibilities, USA seems to be on the verge of ending up on the same.

Its interesting to know that only the game of cricket is heavily affected by the pitches. As the ball bounces on these wickets and then could take a different trajectory altogether. Which is why the pitch has to be protected at all the costs, including the factors of rain as it can severely damage the game. The lawn in a cricket ground is useless as most of the game happens on the wickets made of sand, soil and mud. Outfield also plays a role in the game, but it is not as vital as the pitch is. But what would be the case if both, the pitch as well as the outfield are below par? Well the answer can be evident when one witnesses a game happening at the Nassau County Cricket Stadium in New York.

The substandard quality of wicket and the outfield is becoming the topic of criticism, and rightly so. As it doesn't meet the standards of T20 cricket. One can argue that the Americans are not much aware about the game and hence the wicket was of a low level, but to everyone's surprise, the wicket is developed by the curators of Adelaide Cricket Stadium. And yet it is performing poorly. Knowing that the world cup has just began, and that many more matches would be played on the same wicket, makes everyone wonder on how the things are going to unfold going ahead. And to add to its woes is the fact the the most high voltage match between two giants India and Pakistan match would be played on the same wicket which is the most viewed match of all time.

The wicket hardly has anything it for the batters. While one can argue that the bowler friendly wickets are dying, and one needs to bring those back, it can't be said the same about Nassau stadium. Wickets which offer help to seamers are always welcomed, but the wickets which offer uneven bounce are far from being welcomed. The uneven bounce saw Indian skipper being hit on his hand and forced him to get retired hurt, and the same bounce troubled Rishabh Pant who survived dangerously amidst the series of high and low balls even when bowled on the same spot. The same was witnessed during the match between Srilanka and South Africa as well.

A result of which, both the encounters were extremely low scoring. Even the practice match which happened at the venue was extremely low scoring. And more than low scoring it was a bigger concern of the players getting injured with no mistake of theirs. It it continues to happen, then a series of injuries happening to the players would be evident. While one agrees that it was a commendable job to build a stadium with no signs of it back until the last 3 months. And one would applaud the effort of building the stadium out of nowhere from a land covered with snow. But if the result of all this is going to be brutal for the players and the game, then it is not welcomed at all, as it can severely affect the outcome of the world cup.

The pitches heavily affecting the outcome of games and World cups is not a new thing. The 2021 T20 World Cup which happened in United Arab Emirates saw the same happen. The world cup was mostly won on toss, as the team winning the toss chose to bowl first and harnessed the conditions to their advantage. And the other team was at the receiving end of unfair loss because of the substandard quality of pitches. It was an utter disgrace to see toss and nature of the pitches being the deciding factor for a match, when it should actually be the skills of team which decide their fate. The failed world cup of 2021 didn't act like an example it seems, as the same is now happening with the world cup happening in America.

And with it happening, all the happiness to see the game flourished in United States is vanished. Infact the global cricket fans now worry on whether this world cup and substandard quality of pitches would backfire in a way that the game will never be taken seriously in North American continent. One won't be surprised to see it happen. And the only way to tackle the dire situation is to improve the quality of wickets amidst the world cup itself. If not, the cricket fans would be ready to turn their backs towards USA, which would further affect America's plans of including the game in 2028 Los Angeles World Cup as well. Hopefully the same can be averted by taking the necessary steps. And hopefully the host nations going ahead would gain a hard learned lesson to not take the pitches lightly.