"Such pitches dent the thrill of a game of cricket"- Navjot Singh Sidhu slams pitch for SA vs AFG T20 World Cup match
Former Indian opener Navjot Singh Sidhu was disappointed to see the pitch used for the 2024 T20 World Cup semifinal between South Africa and Afghanistan in Trinidad on Wednesday, June 26. Afghanistan were skittled for 56 on a surface that had a bit too much in it for the bowlers and the variable bounce was tough for the batters to counter.
Sidhu shed light on how similar pitches were on offer in the New York leg of the T20 World Cup. He claimed that it was the biggest reason why one-sided games like the semifinal between Afghanistan and South Africa are played out.
Speaking on Star Sports, here's what Navjot Singh Sidhu had to say:
"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. 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."
South Africa captain Aiden Markram and Afghanistan head coach Jonathan Trott also criticized the pitch. Even cricket pundits like Michael Vaughan voiced their opinion against the pitch as well as the scheduling of the semifinal.
Navjot Singh Sidhu on India vs England semifinal
Rain threat looms large on the second semifinal between India and England to be played in Guyana on Thursday, June 27. With no reserve day available, India will go through to the final if there is a washout as they finished at the top of their group.
Navjot Singh Sidhu opened up on his expectations of a full game and why he doesn't want to see rain play spoilsport. He said:
"I hope we get a full game of cricket in Guyana. Either that or the rain completely washes the game off and India qualifies. We don't want to see a rain-curtailed game of 5-7 overs. The ball will turn and remain low in Guyana and a game of 140-150 score could be an interesting one."
The last time India and England met in the T20 World Cup semifinal was a couple of years ago when England thrashed the Men in Blue by ten wickets. However, while speaking to the reporters, England coach Matthew Mott accepted that the mindset of the current Indian team is not the same and that they will need to work harder to come on top.