What is a drop-in pitch in cricket? How is it different from a standard pitch?

The T20 World Cup 2024 co-hosted by United States of America (USA) and the West Indies, will see the use of drop-in pitches at some of its venues.

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The most prominent and popular one being at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, formerly known as the Eisenhower Park, where India will play three out of their four group stage matches.

The wicket used for the Sri Lanka vs South Africa match, the first T20 World Cup match played in New York, came in for criticism. South Africa bowled Sri Lanka out for 77 runs in 19.1 overs. It wasn't easy going for South Africa as well, who needed 16.2 overs to chase down the target.

In this article, we dive into what drop-in pitches are and how they differ from the standard pitches all around the world.

What is a drop-in pitch which will be used at the T20 World Cup 2024?

Drop-in pitches to simply put are those pitches which are prepared outside the actual stadium and transported in ahead of the series or tournament. 

They essentially look like a tray and are placed in a location on the ground, similar to that of the standard pitches, but a shallow trench is dug to drop the transported pre-prepared pitch in it.

Some of the popular venues which have used drop-in pitches include the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and the Adelaide Oval, in Australia.

Why are drop-in pitches used and how are they different from standard pitches? 

You can generally find drop-in pitches in stadiums which hosts multi-purposes including for concerts or for other sports events.

Ahead of the start of the cricket season, these pre-prepared pitches are brought in and installed on the ground. Watch:

How are drop-in pitches installed in a cricket field?

Watch the latest video of Nassau County Stadium, NY, which will host the T20 World Cup 2024 and IND vs. PAK. pic.twitter.com/EuGAqzuEy7

— Baljeet Singh (@ImTheBaljeet) May 6, 2024

Once the cricket tournament is over, these pitches can be removed, and the stadium can be used for other non-cricketing purposes once again. 

A standard or traditional pitch on the other hand, is a patch of grass in the middle of the ground, that needs to be carefully prepared by mowing and rolling them over with a heavy roller. Generally, these pitches are not used in stadiums for other sports or events, as it is sensitive to wear and tear.

Why is the pitch for India vs Pakistan under fire?

The Nassau County International Cricket Stadium hosted its first match of the T20 World Cup on Monday, when Sri Lanka took on South Africa.

The pitch for the pop-up stadium was prepared in Adelaide, Australia before being dropped in. It turned out to be livlier than expected. While seam movement is expected on a fresh, green pitch, the big problem the batters faced on the day was a lot of unpredictable up and down movement. The lush outfield did not help things either, as the ball failed to travel at speed to the boundary.

The venue will now host the India vs Pakistan marquee clash on June 9 and the critics have grown louder after the disastrous India vs Ireland game on Wednesday.

Earlier, India had played their only warm-up game for the T20 World Cup at the venue against Bangladesh.

"The ground is a bit soft, so the players will feel it on their calves and hamstrings tomorrow," India coach Rahul Dravid had said.

"The pitches here were better on the third day of practice. We cannot label a pitch as good or bad. A pitch is a pitch. You have to learn to manage and adapt. We will never complain about the pitch. We have to use our experience to understand that at this venue, we might not be able to play T20s the way it is generally played," Dravid added.

Which T20 World Cup matches will be played at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium?