The ground used for South Africa’s and India’s New Year’s Test match at Newlands in Cape Town has received an “unsatisfactory” grade and one penalty point from the ICC.
An official characterized the decision as a “fair” assessment of the surface. Cricket South Africa said that it would not appeal.
In a statement released on Wednesday the Western Province Cricket Association (WPCA), said that they will “work together with Cricket South Africa (CSA). To analyze the Match Referee’s reports extensively and identify all areas for improvement.”
The Newlands Test Pitch is rated as “unsatisfactory”
It was the quickest result Test in the history of the game, with India winning by seven wickets in less than five sessions and 642 balls. The match was controlled by fast bowlers who used both new and old balls to extract seam movement and inconsistent bounce. Neither side bowled a ball with spin.
The pitch “was below standard”, according to both captains Dean Elgar and Rohit Sharma, while ICC match referee Chris Broad rated it as “unsatisfactory”.
“It was a very difficult pitch to bat on at Newlands,” Broad stated. Throughout the game, the ball bounced swiftly and even dangerously, making it challenging to make shots. The uneven bounce caused numerous wickets to fall and struck a couple of batters on the gloves.”
Pitches and outfields are classified as very excellent, satisfactory, poor, or unsuitable under the ICC’s monitoring system. Venues receiving an unsatisfactory rating receive one demerit point, while those receiving an unsuitable rating receive three penalty points.
Merit points are valid for a five-year rolling term. A venue will be prohibited from holding international cricket matches for a full year if it obtains six demerit points. If it reaches twelve points, it will also be prohibited for a full year.
The suspension is the most recent blow to WPCA’s finances. It has been negatively impacted by the building of an office building in the stadium area. Even though the building is occupied by some tenants, WPCA is still in debt from the construction of the facility. It needs CSA’s multi-million Rand bailout to stay open this summer.
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