The International Cricket Council (ICC) has rated the pitch at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium as “unsatisfactory” following Pakistan’s recent ODI against Australia.
The venue hosted the second and third ODIs of the three-match series, which Pakistan won 2-1 after securing a four-wicket victory in the low-scoring final game.
According to the ICC, the nature of the surface played a decisive role in match referee Graeme La Brooy’s assessment, as scoring runs remained difficult throughout the contest.
“The pitch was slow and low and made scoring runs very difficult. It did not suit a One Day International game as batters had to spend more time to settle in. It helped spin very early in the match and continued the same way throughout,” La Brooy said.
Australia were bowled out for just 157 in the third ODI, while Pakistan also had to work hard during the chase as the surface continued to offer assistance to the bowlers.
The ICC also rated the Lord’s pitch in London as “unsatisfactory” after the first Test between England and New Zealand.
Match referee Andy Pycroft noted that the surface produced excessive seam movement and variable bounce, with 16 wickets falling on the first day and 17 on the second.
“There was simply an over-balance in favour of ball against bat caused by the pitch,” Pycroft said.
Both Gaddafi Stadium and Lord’s have received one demerit point each under the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process.
The match referees’ reports have been sent to the Pakistan Cricket Board and the England and Wales Cricket Board, respectively, with both boards given 14 days to appeal the sanctions.
The ICC confirmed that neither venue had any previous demerit points.
The Pakistan-Australia series was played on largely low and spin-friendly surfaces in Rawalpindi and Lahore, where the Australian batters struggled for consistency.
Some former players and analysts criticized the pitches, claiming they were prepared to favor the home side. However, Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi defended the approach after the series win.
“When you have to play against such a team like Australia, you have to prepare such pitches because your objective is to win the series,” Shaheen said.
He added that Australia also prepared green pitches when Pakistan toured there, believing those conditions would favor them against an Asian side.
“Despite that, under Mohammad Rizwan’s captaincy, we won the series there,” he said.
