The International Cricket Council (ICC), on Monday, January 8, 2024, unveiled its verdict on the pitch of the recent South Africa versus India Test match which was played at Newlands in Cape Town.
The Test was finished in five sessions total and saw South Africa being bowled out for 55 runs after choosing to bat first after winning the toss. Mohammed Siraj picked career-best 6/15.
India then posted 153 in their first innings with Virat Kohli top-scoring with 46. This is despite the fact that India was 153/4 at one stage and lost their last six wickets for 0 runs on the board. This was the first instance of a team losing their six wickets for 0 runs in a Test match.
After 23 wickets fell on day one of the Test, a brilliant counter-attacking hundred from Aiden Markram then took South Africa to 176, earning the hosts a lead of 78 runs. India lost just 3 wickets to achieve the target and finished on 80/3, winning the Test by 7 wickets and leveling the two-Test series 1-1.
This Test match was the shortest in the history of the game, in terms of deliveries and overs, as it ended in 642 balls and 107 overs.
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ICC Match Referee Chris Broad submitted his report, which expressed the concerns of the match officials, and following the assessment, the Newlands pitch in Cape Town was deemed "unsatisfactory".
“The pitch in Newlands was very difficult to bat on. 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,” Broad stated in its report for ICC.
In the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process, if a pitch or outfield is rated as substandard, that venue is allocated certain demerit points. One demerit point is awarded to venues whose pitches and outfields are rated by the match referee as unsatisfactory.
If a venue reaches six demerit points, it is suspended from hosting any international cricket for 12 months. The penalty is 24 months in case of 12 demerit points.
These points remain active for a rolling five-year period. Cricket South Africa has 14 days to appeal against the sanction.
(ICC inputs)
