Newlands pitch rated ‘unsatisfactory’

CAPE TOWN: The Newlands pitch on which India beat South Africa in less than two days last week was rated “unsatisfactory” by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday.

India won by seven wickets in Cape Town on Thursday to level the two-match series in a game that lasted just 107 overs and was the shortest Test to produce a result. On Tuesday, the ICC said that match referee Chris Broad´s report expressed “the concerns of the match officials and...captains Dean Elgar and Rohit Sharma, both of whom felt that the pitch was below standard”. The ICC quoted Broad in its statement. “The pitch in Newlands was very difficult to bat on,” said the former England opening batsman.

“The ball bounced quickly and sometimes alarmingly throughout the match, making it difficult to play shots. Several batters were hit on the gloves and many wickets also fell due to the awkward bounce.”

The ICC said that Newlands had received one demerit point. The more serious rating of ´unfit´ carries three demerit points. If a venue collects six demerit points in a five-year period it will be suspended from staging international cricket for 12 months.