After playing many limited-over series, the cricket World is now experiencing Test cricket shows. After the World Cup, India met South Africa for a Test series. In the first Test, India faced a defeat. But the drama created over the second Test match. The match ended in just one and a half days. After the Test match ended, ICC rated Capetown’s pitch unsatisfactory.
India vs South Africa Second Test Match:
After facing a defeat of an innings and 32 runs, Team India headed to the second Test match against South Africa. Cape Town organised the match. That match between India and South Africa was recorded as the shortest Test match in history. The whole Test match ended in just 107 overs. That game didn’t go on for two days.
On the first day of the Test match, 23 wickets were down. Before stumps, both teams ended their first innings, South Africa started their second innings by losing three wickets. The bowlers performed well. But the job was difficult for the batters. They didn’t get a chance to stand tall and bat. After the match ended too early, a lot of questions were raised over the pitch.
ICC’s Rate:
ICC Match Referee Chris Broad has reported concerns about the Newlands pitch in Cape Town, deeming it “unsatisfactory.” Broad highlighted difficulties for batters due to unpredictable bounce, leading to the pitch’s substandard rating. He said, “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.”
The ICC’s demerit system assigns one point for unsatisfactory conditions, and if a venue accumulates six points, it faces a 12-month suspension from hosting international cricket. Cricket South Africa has a 14-day window for appeal against the sanction, emphasizing the importance of pitch quality in the sport.
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