‘Unsatisfactory’ verdict! ICC penalizes pitch at Lord’s Stadium and Pakistan at Gaddafi Stadium

Lord’s Cricket Ground (Getty Images) NEW DELHI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has rated the pitches used for the first Test between England and New Zealand at Lord’s and the third ODI between Pakistan and Australia at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore as “unsatisfactory” as part of its pitch and ground monitoring process.Both pitches were subsequently given one minus point following reports sent by match referees Andy Pycroft and Graeme La Brooy.Excessive assist for the bowlers at Lord’sIn his report, Pycroft said the Lord’s surface provided too much help to the bowlers during the Test, creating an imbalance between bat and ball.“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.The match ended in four days with England defeating New Zealand by 115 runs. Chasing 254 for victory, New Zealand were dismissed for 138 in their second innings as England took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.Gaddafi Stadium pitch criticized for being slow and lowThe pitch used for the third ODI between Pakistan and Australia also came under scrutiny.Match referee Graeme La Brooy noted that the surface was too slow and offered turn from an early stage, making batting difficult and unsuitable for a 50-over match.“It didn’t suit the ODI game because the batsmen had to spend more time settling down. It helped the spin very early in the match and it continued in the same way throughout,” La Brooy said.The ECB and PCB can appealThe ICC passed on the reports to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Both councils have 14 days to appeal the sanctions.Neither Lord’s nor Gaddafi’s stadiums carried any previous negative points before the latest ratings.How the ICC points system worksUnder ICC regulations, a venue receives one demerit point when a pitch is rated “unsatisfactory”, while an “unsuitable” rating attracts three demerit points.Deficit points remain active for five years. A venue that collects six merit points is suspended from hosting international cricket for 12 months, while achieving 12 merit points will result in a 24-month suspension.