Sri Lanka's fast bowling coach Aqib Javed says people are realising T20 WC pitches are unpredictable

The fast bowling coach for Sri Lanka, Aqib Javed, commented on the unpredictable nature of the wickets, pointing out that they were the first team to face them. In contrast to their recent losses to South Africa and Bangladesh, Sri Lanka would have expected a more fortunate start to their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign. To the detriment of not only Sri Lanka but many other teams, their bowling ability has demonstrated accuracy and effectiveness, but their batting unit has struggled.

Still, it would be excessively strict to blame the difficulties only on the batting side of other teams. Out of the five games played in Group D before the match between Sri Lanka and Nepal, the highest score has only been 124, thus their problems fit within a larger picture.

This comment was especially directed towards the tournament’s fourth match, in which they were bowled out for a pitiful 77 runs in 19.1 overs. As a result of this low-score tendency, he claimed, teams are only now starting to realise what to expect when setting or chasing even modest aims.

People are starting to realise that the pitches are erratic now. We were the pioneers who had undergone this procedure. We played that game for the first time in New York on a brand-new pitch, and as a player, you just can’t expect anything like that. Javed made this comment prior to Sri Lanka’s match against Nepal: “People are now aware of what total to place and what they’re expecting when they’re chasing even a small total.”

Additionally, he stated that although he thought the Dallas track was the best for batting out of New York and Florida, the conditions surprised not just the Sri Lankans but also the other teams in the competition. The hitters, he noted, have faced significant obstacles and have not behaved as was expected. As a result, he pushed for a reworking of tactics for both Sri Lanka and other teams as well, stressing the need for extensive training and preparation prior to their upcoming match against Nepal.

“These new circumstances are startling to many teams, not just us. The surface we played on in Dallas was probably one of the greatest in the nation to bat on. In particular, the hitters have endured a great deal. This is not how the pitches and the conditions typically behave.