The International Cricket Council (ICC) has declared the pitch at Newlands, Cape Town, to be unsatisfactory after Rohit Sharma lashed out at the ICC. The test match between India and South Africa in Cape Town was completed in just 107 overs and a mere 4 sessions.
According to sources, match referee Chris Broad described the pitch as unsatisfactory in his report.
He said, “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 Newlands stadium in Cape Town has been handed a demerit point as well which could lead to a year long ban once the ground accumulates six demerit points.
This development comes after the shortest-ever completed Test match at Newlands, where only 642 balls were bowled, and India dominated the Proteas.
Indian fast bowler Mohammed Siraj’s remarkable performance of 6/15 helped India dismiss the home side for just 55 runs in their first innings. In response, India managed to take a 98-run lead by scoring 153 runs before losing 6 wickets without scoring a single run.
Aiden Markram’s superb century in the third innings couldn’t save the day for South Africa as India easily chased down a target of 79 runs to win by seven wickets on the second day of the match.
After that Indian skipper Rohit Sharma said, “If the ball seams from ball one, it’s fine for everyone. That’s not fair. If the ball starts spinning from ball one, it should be okay. Otherwise, you stay neutral and start rating these pitches as bad too. If you want the ball only to seam and not to turn, in my opinion, that’s absolutely wrong.”
“That’s my judgment, my opinion, and I’ll stick by it. I’ve seen enough cricket and understand how these match referees and the ICC look into these ratings. I don’t have an issue with how you rate, but stay neutral,” he added.
While some former Indian cricketers agreed with his statement, others pointed out that the seam movement is an entirely fresh pitch phenomenon while spin is something that comes up as the pitch is used. Therefore, pitches seaming on the first day is normal as the seam movement continues to decrease in the ongoing days while spin on the first-day results in rougher spin as the game progresses.
This clearly shows that seam movement on first day is actually fine and normal but square turners on the first day are signs of a weary and rough pitch.
Barely two days after his statement, the ICC has declared dissatisfaction with the pitch displaying the power that the Indian board and players hold over the governing council.