Indore pitch rated “poor” by ICC; gets three demerit points
Indore’s Holkar Cricket Stadium, where the third Test match was conducted, saw some stark opinions from the cricketing fraternity. The playing surface saw a sharp turn from the first day itself. Thereby getting rated “poor” by the International Cricket Council.
The Indore pitch came under scanner after it saw the Test getting completed within three days. With the Indore pitch rated poor under the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process, the venue received three demerit points after match referee Chris Broad submitted his report. Broad said, “The pitch, which was very dry, did not provide a balance between bat and ball, favouring spinners from the start. He further added, “The fifth ball of the match broke through the pitch surface and continued to occasionally break the surface providing little or no seam movement and there was excessive and uneven bounce throughout the match.”
BCCI now have 14 days if they wish to appeal against the sanction. As per ICC’s rules, a venue will be suspended from hosting any international cricket for a period of 12 months if it accumulates five or more demerit points over a five-year rolling period. If it accumulates ten demerit points, it will be suspended from hosting international cricket for a period of 24 months.
The last time a pitch in India was rated poor was in 2017, the Pune Test, where Australia beat India on a similar turner. Also, Broad was the one who handed out that sanction as well.