The pitches at Providence Stadium, located just south of Georgetown, have long favoured spinners with sharp turn and low bounce. Samuel Badree, a two-time T20 World Champion, told that this has been the case for as long as he can remember.
Unlike most T20 venues, Providence has spinners bowling more overs than seamers. Over the past two years, spinners at this venue have conceded fewer than seven runs per over (6.96), while seamers have given up 8.51 runs per over. This trend should benefit India's spin trio of Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and Ravindra Jadeja. Meanwhile, Jos Buttler is expected to utilise Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, and Adil Rashid.
Badree noted that although the pitches were relaid for the T20 World Cup, they have typically been low-scoring and spinner-friendly. He mentioned that the last few Caribbean Premier Leagues (CPL) have been better for batters, but the recent World Cup matches at Providence still favoured spinners with low bounce and some turn.
Australian spinner Chris Green, who has played 22 CPL games at Providence, also commented on the pitches. He acknowledged an improvement over the years, leading to higher scores in the CPL, but he still sees day games as being spin-friendly like the traditional Guyana wickets.
Semi-Final Pitch and Conditions
The semi-final on Thursday will be played on Pitch 3, which has square boundaries measuring 73 metres. This pitch was previously used for Uganda's low-scoring win against Papua New Guinea, where the teams combined for 155 runs with 17 wickets lost, highlighting the low bounce.
The match is scheduled to start at 10:30 am, although morning showers may cause delays. The only other day game at Providence during this World Cup saw West Indies struggle to chase 137 against Papua New Guinea on a pitch with variable bounce. With a north-easterly crosswind and no dew, the ball is unlikely to come onto the bat as it would under lights. Badree believes that day games are more favourable to spinners, expecting Kuldeep, Axar, and Adil Rashid to play significant roles.
Green advised that batters should be aggressive in the power play, as it is the best time to bat. He explained that attacking early can either build a solid platform or lead to quick wickets, depending on the conditions. However, the middle overs tend to be challenging. Towards the end, if a team has a good platform, they can push for an above-par total, making it tough for the chasing team.
Former West Indies captain Daren Ganga suggested that a score of 160 could be considered par on this pitch. He noted that the pitch would have an even covering of root structure, leading to low bounce, unlike the steep bounce seen in Trinidad.
T20 World Cup and T20I Stats at Providence
- T20 World Cup Matches: 5
- Average First-Innings Score: 146
- Average Runs per Over: 6.20
- Defending Wins: 3
- Chasing Wins: 2
All T20I Stats since July 2021
- Matches: 9 (excluding two no-results)
- Average First-Innings Score: 151
- Average Runs per Over: 7.18
- Defending Wins: 4
- Chasing Wins: 5