IND vs SA 2nd Test pitch at Newlands rated as ‘unsatisfactory’ by ICC, receives one demerit point

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.

India‘s Yashasvi Jaiswal plays a shot during the second day of the second Test against South Africa at Newlands in Cape Town. | Photo Credit: AFP

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday announced that the pitch for the second Test between South Africa and India at Newlands in Cape Town has been rated as “unsatisfactory”.

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, which has 14 days to appeal against the sanction.

“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,” Broad said.

Interestingly, the Test, which India won by seven wickets in the second session of the second day, was the shortest match in the history of the longest format of the game.

It lasted just 642 balls, breaking the previous record for the shortest completed match, which took place in 1932 in Melbourne between Australia and South Africa and lasted just 656 balls.