IND vs SA 2nd Test: ICC rates Cape Town's Newlands pitch as unsatisfactory

International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the pitch rating for India vs South Africa 2nd Test on Tuesday, played at the Newlands Stadium in Cape Town. ICC rated the Cape Town wicket as "unsatisfactory" under the ICC Pitch and Outfield monitoring Process. The India vs South Africa second is the shortest-ever Test played in history cricket's longest format.

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, who have 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," Match referee Chris Broad said in a statement.

If a venue reaches six demerit points, it is suspended from hosting any international cricket for 12 months. The penalty is 24 months in case of 12 demerit points.

 

These points remain active for a rolling five-year period.

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma was exceptionally vocal in his criticism of the Newlands surface.

"We saw what happened in this match, how the pitch played. I don't mind playing on pitches like this. As long as everyone keeps their mouth shut in India and don't talk too much about Indian pitches," Rohit had told reporters in his post-match press meet.

"Because you come to Test cricket to challenge yourself. Yes, it is dangerous. It is challenging. So, and when people come to India, it is again pretty challenging as well.

If the pitch starts turning (in India), people start talking about 'Puff of dust! Puff of dust!' There's so much crack here (Newlands) on the pitch," he added.

Even South African coach Shukri Conrad was citical of the Cape Town track.

"I don't know what people want me to say. You only need to look at the scores. 1.5-day Test match! You need to look at how they chased 80 (79). It's a sad state when you need more luck than skill. All the ethics and values of Test cricket go out the window," Conrad had said.