New Delhi: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has termed 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” under its pitch and outfield monitoring process.Following reports submitted by match referees Andy Pycroft and Graeme La Broy, both venues have been awarded one demerit point each.More support for bowlers at Lord’sIn his report, Pycroft said that the Lord’s surface provided too much support to the bowlers throughout the Test, creating an imbalance between bat and ball.“There was a lot of seam movement throughout the Test and the ball was kept very low on several occasions. The bounce was variable with 16 wickets falling on the first day and 17 on the second day.“There was an overbalance in favor of the ball against the bat because of the pitch,” Pycroft said.The match ended within four days, with England defeating New Zealand by 115 runs. Chasing 254 for victory, New Zealand were bowled out for 138 in their second innings and England took a 1–0 lead in the three-match series.The Gaddafi Stadium pitch was criticized for being slow and low.The pitch used for the third ODI between Pakistan and Australia also came under scrutiny.Match referee Graeme La Broy observed that the surface was too slow and offered diversion from an early stage, making batting difficult and unsuitable for a 50-over contest.“It was not suitable for an ODI because the batsmen had to take a long time to settle down. It helped spin the match very quickly and it continued like that,” said La Broye.ECB and PCB can appeal.The ICC has sent the reports to England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Both boards have 14 days to file an appeal against the sanctions.Neither Lord’s nor Gaddafi Stadium had received any previous demerit points prior to the latest ranking.How ICC Demerit Points System WorksUnder ICC regulations, a venue gets one demerit point when a pitch is rated “unsatisfactory”, while a rating of “unfit” gets three demerit points.Demerit points remain active for a rolling period of five years. A venue receiving six demerit points is banned from hosting international cricket for 12 months, while reaching 12 demerit points results in a 24-month suspension.
