Shortest-ever completed Test: Newlands pitch in South Africa rated as 'unsatisfactory'

Dubai: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has announced that the pitch for the second Test of the ICC World Test Championship series between South Africa and India at Newlands in Cape Town has been rated as “unsatisfactory” under the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process.

ICC Match Referee Chris Broad submitted his report expressing the concerns of the match officials and after consulting with captains Dean Elgar and Rohit Sharma, both of whom felt that the pitch was below standard. Following the assessment, the venue has received one demerit point.

The report has been forwarded to Cricket South Africa, who have 14 days to appeal against the sanction, according to an ICC media release.

Broad said, “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.” (UNI)