By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has handed an “unsatisfactory” rating and one demerit point to the pitch that hosted the New Year’s Test between South Africa and India at Newlands in Cape Town.
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.
“It (The pitch) generally plays a little bit slower and as a batter you can adjust to that. This one just seemed to get quicker as the session went on,” Proteas captain Dean Elgar said in his post-match interview.
Having played 19 first-class matches at Newlands, including one earlier this season, Elgar came into the match confident he would know what to make of the surface, even though its mottled look was different to its usual even-tone.
“From the naked eye it actually didn’t look too bad,” he said. “The wickets of the past, even domestically, haven’t played at all badly. They’ve actually been quite good. It didn’t look horrible.”
On Tuesday, the ICC said that match referee Chris Broad’s report expressed “the concerns of the match officials and…captains 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.
Cricket South Africa can appeal the demerit point.
However Cricket South Africa has confirmed to Fullview that it will not appeal the sanction, which an official called a “fair” assessment of the surface.