Why Pakistan’s iconic Gaddafi Stadium was punished by the ICC

Pakistan’s Gaddafi Stadium (AP Photo) NEW DELHI: Lahore’s iconic Gaddafi Stadium has come under scrutiny after the International Cricket Council (ICC) rated the pitch used for the third ODI between Pakistan and Australia as “unsatisfactory” and awarded the venue one demerit point under its pitch and ground monitoring process.The sanctions put Gaddafi Stadium next to Lord’s in London, where the pitch used for the opening Test between England and New Zealand also received the same rating from the ICC.

Why did the ICC punish Gaddafi Stadium?

The decision was based on a report submitted by match referee Graeme La Brooy after the third ODI between Pakistan and Australia.According to La Brooy, the Lahore surface was too slow and low for one-day internationals, making it difficult to score runs and offering significant help to the spin bowlers from the early stage.“It didn’t suit the ODI game as the batsmen had to spend more time settling down. It helped the spin very early in the match and continued in the same way throughout,” said La Brooy in his assessment.The ICC concluded that the conditions created an imbalance that was not ideal for an over-50 international competition, resulting in an “unsatisfactory” rating.Lord’s also gets a point for meritGaddafi Stadium was not the only venue penalized by the ICC.Lord’s also received one demerit point after match referee Andy Pycroft criticized the pitch used during the first Test between England and New Zealand.Pycroft noted excessive seam movement, variable bounce and several deliveries that remained unusually low throughout the match.“During the test there was a lot of excessive seam movement and the ball was also held extremely low a few times. The bounce was variable with 16 wickets on the first day and 17 wickets on the second day.”“There was just a ball-to-bat advantage caused by the pitch,” Pycroft said.England beat New Zealand by 115 runs in four days after the visitors were bowled out for 138 while chasing 254.what’s nextThe ICC passed on the reports to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), with both boards having 14 days to appeal the sanctions.Neither Gaddafi Stadium nor Lord’s had any previous deficiencies before the latest decision.

Understanding the ICC scoring system

Under ICC regulations, a venue receives one minus point when a pitch is rated “unsatisfactory” and three points when it is deemed “unsuitable”.These points remain active for a rolling five-year period.A venue that collects six points of merit is suspended from hosting international cricket for 12 months. If the pitch reaches 12 points, it faces a 24-month international ban.