The pitch used for the first Test between India and Australia at Pune has come under fire from the ICC.
Match Referee Chris Broad has given the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium surface a ‘poor’ rating on ‘the balance between bat and ball scale’.
Australia captain Steve Smith had described the pitch as “incredibly dry” in the pre-match press conference.
Two days before the game, fast bowler Josh Hazlewood and spinner Nathan Lyon had a hearty laugh when told that local curator Pandurang Salgaonkar had predicted the ball would fly and the Test would go the distance.
This is the second time in a little over 18 months that the ICC has rated a pitch “poor”. In November 2015, the pitch at Nagpur was given a “poor” rating by Match Referee Jeff Crowe.
“Broad, in accordance with Clause 3 of the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process ... expressed concern over the quality of the pitch. The report has been forwarded to the BCCI , which now has 14 days to respond,” the ICC said in a release.
“The BCCI’s response will be reviewed by ICC’s general manager (cricket), Geoff Allardice, and Ranjan Madugalle from the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees. The matter will be decided in accordance with clause 4 of the process.”
Sanctions
Under the ICC’s pitch monitoring process ‘Sanctions for Substandard Pitches and/or Outfields’, the penalty for a pitch earning a ‘poor’ rating for the first time is “a warning and/or a fine not exceeding $15,000 given together with a directive for appropriate corrective action.”
Three curators, Salgaonkar, Dhiraj Parsana (West Zone member, BCCI Ground and Pitch Committee) and Daljit Singh (Chairman, BCCI Ground and Pitch Committee), were involved in the pitch and ground preparation.
