The International Cricket Council (ICC) have declared the pitch at Newlands in Cape Town for the second Test of the ICC World Test Championship series between South Africa and India as "unsatisfactory" under the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process. (More Cricket News)
Match Referee Chris Broad, after extensive consultation with captains Dean Elgar and Rohit Sharmaa, expressed the concerns of match officials regarding the below-standard pitch. Both captains echoed the sentiment that the conditions were challenging for batting. As a consequence, the venue has been assigned one demerit point, marking a stain on its record.
Chris Broad remarked on the difficulties faced by the batters, stating, "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."
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Cricket South Africa has been informed of the decision, and they now have a 14-day window to appeal against the sanction. The ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process prescribe demerit points for venues with substandard pitches or outfields, with one point allocated for unsatisfactory conditions and three for unfit conditions.
The second Test match between India and South Africa was the shortest Test in history as it lasted for just 106 overs and ended in two days. India won the match by seven wickets and with that win levelled the two-game series 1-1. However, South Africa's Aiden Markram scored a century in the second innings when all other batters seemed to be struggling.
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It's worth noting that demerit points will remain active for a rolling five-year period. A venue faces suspension from hosting international cricket for 12 months upon accumulating six demerit points. If a venue reaches the threshold of 12 demerit points, it is suspended from staging any international cricket for 24 months.
