The pitch at Newlands, where India defeated South Africa in less than two days of play in the second Test, has received an ‘unsatisfactory’ rating from the International Cricket Council (ICC) and a demerit point for the venue. The match, which India won by seven wickets, was the shortest completed Test in terms of balls bowled, with only 642 deliveries in the entire game. The pitch offered excessive seam movement and variable bounce to the fast bowlers, who took all 40 wickets in the match. No spinner bowled a single ball in the game.
India’s captain, Rohit Sharma, criticized the Newlands pitch, labeling it as “dangerous” and “challenging” after leading his team to a seven-wicket victory over South Africa in the second Test. The match, lasting only 642 balls, became the shortest completed Test in terms of deliveries bowled. The pitch provided excessive seam movement and variable bounce to the fast bowlers, who took all 40 wickets in the match, with no spinner bowling a single ball.
Sharma, despite his own scores of 23 and 25 in the two innings, expressed his willingness to play on such pitches but expected similar tolerance when India hosted Tests on turning tracks. He cautioned against criticism of Indian pitches and emphasized that Test cricket is about challenging oneself. Sharma’s comments aligned with those of South African captain Dean Elgar, who also expressed dissatisfaction with the pitch, deeming it unfit for Test cricket.
The ICC’s match referee Chris Broad rated the pitch as ‘unsatisfactory’ after consulting with both captains, Dean Elgar and Rohit Sharma, who agreed that the pitch was below standard. “The pitch in Newlands was very difficult to bat on,” Broad said in an ICC statement. “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.”
According to the ICC’s pitch and outfield monitoring process, pitches and outfields can be rated as very good, satisfactory, unsatisfactory, or unfit. An unsatisfactory rating results in one demerit point for the venue, while an unfit rating leads to three demerit points. Demerit points remain active for a rolling five-year period. If a venue accumulates six demerit points, it will be suspended from hosting international cricket for 12 months. If it reaches 12 demerit points, it will be suspended for 24 months.
Cricket South Africa has accepted the sanction and will not appeal against it. An official from the board told ESPNcricinfo that it was a “fair” assessment of the surface. The Newlands pitch has been under scrutiny for some time, as it also produced a low-scoring Test between South Africa and England in 2020, where 41 wickets fell in less than four days. However, that pitch was rated as ‘satisfactory’ by the ICC.
The Newlands Test was the second of the three-match series between South Africa and India, which is currently level at 1-1. The third and final Test will be played at the Wanderers in Johannesburg from January 11. The pitch at the Wanderers is also known to favour the fast bowlers, but it is expected to be more consistent and fair than the one at Newlands.
Tags: Dean Elgar, Rohit Sharma, Test Cricket, ICC, South Africa Cricket Board, Cricket Pitch, Referee Chris Broad, India VS. South Africa, Sports, Cricket, Shortest Test Match, India Win
