India vs South Africa: ICC rates Newlands pitch 'unsatisfactory'

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has rated the Newlands pitch in Cape Town as “unsatisfactory” following the second Test between South Africa and India that ended in less than two full days. “The pitch in Newlands was very difficult to bat on,” said ICC match refereee Stuart Broad.  “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,” he added.

The Newlands pitch, as a result, received one demerit point, the ICC said in a release. At the same time, if a venue receives six demerit points, it remains suspended from hosting any international cricket for 12 months. In the case of 12 demerit points, that penalty becomes 24 months.

Cricket South Africa will have 14 days to lodge an appeal against the sanction, the release added.

After having won the toss and opted to bat on a pitch that offered extra bounce, South Africa were bowled out for 55 in the very first session of the contest. In reply, India were 153/4 at one stage following knocks from Rohit Sharma (39), Shubman Gill (36) and Virat Kohli (46). However, the visitors collapsed for that exact same score, losing six wickets as the Proteas pacers wreaked havoc.

Towards the end of Day 1, the Proteas walked out to bat once again, trailing India by 98 runs. Barring a resillient century from Aiden Markram, there was nothing much the hosts could do as they were bundled out for 176, meaning India needed just 79 runs to win the contest. In the run chase, Yashasvi Jaiswal got the visitors off to a confident start with a knock of 28 off 23 deliveries that included six fours. And while Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli were dismissed in quick succession, it was Shreyas Iyer who hit the winning runs, with a boundary, with skipper Rohit Sharma at the other, end. India shared the series 1-1.