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[Saba Sports News] The pitch at Newlands, used for the South Africa vs. India second Test, has been classified as “unsatisfactory” by the ICC under their Pitch and Outfield monitoring process. This assessment has led to the venue being penalized with one demerit point. These points remain active for five years, and accumulating six points within this period would result in a 12-month ban from hosting international cricket.
The Test, which India won, concluded in just two days, marked by batting difficulties due to inconsistent bounce. The first day saw a dramatic 23 wickets fall, with South Africa dismissed for 55 and India collapsing to 153, including a last-wicket slide of six for no runs. Earlier, it had been predicted possible sanctions and demerit points for the Newlands pitch.
Both team captains, Dean Elgar and Rohit Sharma, communicated their concerns about the pitch to match referee Chris Broad. Broad’s report highlighted the challenging batting conditions, with erratic and sometimes dangerous bounce causing difficulty in shot-making and leading to several batsmen being hit.
“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,” said Broad.
Cricket South Africa has been informed of the report and its sanction, and they have a 14-day window to appeal against this decision if they choose to.