In what is a piece of good news for Pakistan cricket, the ICC has taken back the “unsatisfatory rating” it had issued earlier for the Gaddafi Stadium pitch, which hosted the third and final ODI against Australia in early June.
Pakistan won the match by four wickets to take the series 2-1. After Australia decided to bat first, they could only score 157 all out in 42 overs. Almost all of the Pakistani bowlers got some purchase from the pitch. It wasn’t an easy chase for the Pakistanis either. They too were reeling at 112/6 at one time before Abdul Samad and Shadab Khan took them over the line with a 49-run partnership.
Later, the venue was handed a demerit point but now that decision has been reversed. The ICC explained why they did it in a media release. “The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced its decisions on three pitch rating appeals submitted by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Cricket Canada (CC) regarding demerit points imposed for matches held in June.
“The ICC Appeals Panel arrived at the determinations after reviewing match footage, Match Referees’ reports and official comments from the respective team captains.
“The demerit point imposed on Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, following an ‘Unsatisfactory’ rating for the third Men’s ODI between Pakistan and Australia on 4 June, has been rescinded. The panel noted that while the guidelines of the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process were followed by the Match Referee, “the pitch did not demonstrate excessive unevenness or spin,” the release said.
“The Maple Leaf Cricket Ground in King City, Toronto, had previously been issued an ‘Unsatisfactory’ rating for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 match between the United States of America and the Netherlands on 8 June, alongside an ‘Unfit’ rating for a subsequent match of the same series between Canada and the Netherlands on 16 June.
“Regarding the 8 June fixture, the Appeals Panel felt that while guidelines had been followed by the Match Referee, the condition of the surface ‘was consistent with that of a satisfactory pitch’ and ‘did not demonstrate excessive unevenness, seam movement or spin,’ leading to the withdrawal of the demerit point.
“However, the three demerit points imposed for the ‘Unfit’ rating on 16 June remain on record for the venue. The panel considered that ‘the condition of the pitch was dangerous and thus consistent with that of an Unfit pitch.’ Following the rulings, the Maple Leaf Cricket Ground holds three demerit points on its record, while Gaddafi Stadium carries zero demerit points,” the release added.
