The International Cricket Council (ICC) has rated the surfaces served for the first Test between England and New Zealand at Lord's and the third ODI between Pakistan and Australia at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium as "unsatisfactory".
Both venues have been handed one demerit point each under the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process, with the ratings officially submitted by match referees Andy Pycroft and Graeme La Brooy.
In his report, Pycroft mentioned the Lord's wicket offered too much assistance to the bowlers throughout the Test, causing imbalance between bat and ball.
"There was plenty of excessive seam movement throughout the Test and the ball also kept extremely low on several occasions. The bounce was variable throughout as 16 wickets fell on the first day and 17 on the second.
"There was simply an over-balance in favour of ball against bat caused by the pitch," Pycroft said.
England defeated New Zealand by 115 runs at Lord’s, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match Test series. The Kiwis were dismissed for 138 chasing a victory target of 254.
On the other hand, Graeme La Brooy criticized the Lahore pitch for being too slow and low, which made scoring difficult and stifled the natural flow of an ODI game.
"It did not suit an ODI game as batters had to spend more time to settle in. It helped spin very early in the match and continued the same way throughout," La Brooy said.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has forwarded assessment reports to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), giving both governing bodies a 14-day window to lodge an appeal against the sanctions.
Prior to these evaluations, neither Lord's nor the Gaddafi Stadium carried any previous demerit points.
Under ICC regulations, a venue receives one demerit point if a pitch is rated "unsatisfactory", while an "unfit" rating attracts three points.
Any awarded demerit points remain actively attached to the venue for a rolling period of five years. Accumulation of 6 demerit points results in a suspension from hosting international cricket for 12 months, while reaching 12 demerit points leads to a 24-month suspension.
