Cricket Fans Left Disappointed by ‘Awful’ T20 World Cup Semi-Final Pitch
Cricket pundits Steven Finn and Alex Hartley have strongly criticized the poor playing surface used for the T20 World Cup semi-final between South Africa and Afghanistan in Trinidad. The pitch was described as “awful” and “an actual shambles,” leading to a one-sided match that failed to provide an engaging contest.
Afghanistan were bowled out for a meager 56 runs, the lowest score ever recorded in a T20 World Cup semi-final. South Africa then chased down the target in just 8.5 overs, losing only one wicket. However, their batters struggled to play with any certainty on the deteriorating pitch, which featured extremely inconsistent bounce.
Former England seamer Finn expressed his disappointment, stating, “The pitch just deteriorated and it led to not a great spectacle for a T20 game. It would have been fascinating on day five of a Test match, but for a T20, it wasn’t up to scratch.”
England World Cup winner Hartley echoed these sentiments, saying, “You want an even contest. What this pitch has done is take batting completely out of the game. It’s an actual shambles.”
The venue itself, the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, is known for offering significant swing and seam movement for pace bowlers, as well as turn for spinners. However, the extreme conditions on display during the semi-final match were deemed unacceptable for a high-profile T20 fixture.
Commentator Geoff Lemon even suggested that the pitch was so poor that a longer format match might have been called off due to the unfair playing conditions.
As the T20 World Cup continues, cricket fans and experts will undoubtedly hope for more consistent and fair pitch conditions to ensure an engaging and entertaining spectacle.
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