The International Cricket Council (ICC) has rated the Newlands pitch as “unsatisfactory” under the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process.
The pitch recently hosted the second Test of the ICC World Test Championship series between South Africa and India.
The match, which India won by seven wickets, ended in less than five sessions, which made it the shortest Test result in the game’s history.
After the match, ICC Match Referee Chris Broad submitted his report expressing the concerns of the match officials and after consulting with captains Dean Elgar and Rohit Sharma, both of whom felt that the pitch was below standard.
Following the assessment, the venue has received one demerit point.
“Mr Broad 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,” read a statement from the ICC.
Cricket South Africa said it will not appeal the sanction, which it had 14 days to do so.
Meanwhile, the Western Province Cricket Association (WPCA) acknowledged the report and said it is committed to uphold the highest standards of the game and ensure that the playing conditions at Newlands are of the highest possible quality.
“We respect the concerns raised by the ICC Match Referee, Mr. Chris Broad, and we take this feedback seriously.
As a responsible cricketing body, we will work closely with Cricket South Africa to review the Match Referee’s report thoroughly and identify all areas for improvement.
The Board of WPCA, with support from CSA, has committed itself to a comprehensive turnaround strategy to address the recent misfortunes at WPCA, which includes restoring Newlands Cricket Ground to its former glory,” read a statement from the WPCA.
Under the ICC rules if a pitch or outfield is rated as being substandard, that venue will be allocated several demerit points.
The demerit point will remain active for a rolling five-year period.
