Australia v Proteas at the Gabba in Brisbane
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Elite International Cricket Council (ICC) umpire Richie Richardson called the green pitch at Brisbane Cricket Ground “below average”.
This comes after Australia’s six wicket victory against Proteas in the opening Test at the Gabba, which lasted two days.
The Proteas’ batting line-up and top order collapsed on a green Brisbane pitch as the tourists pooled for 152 and 99 against a fierce onslaught of Australian bowlers.
The Gabba received one demerit point for a “below average” pitch, which was deemed to have shown “additional bounce and occasional excessive seam movement”, while “the odd pitch also stayed low.” First #AUSvSA Test was the second shortest completed game in the post-war era. pic.twitter.com/hiAQNqzsX7
—Wisden (@WisdenCricket) December 20, 2022
Thirty-four wickets fell at the Gabba, with Proteas skipper Dean Elgar questioning the quality of the wicket, conceding that it was “not a good testing ground”.
READ | ‘That pitch was devilish’: Former Gauteng cricket boss calls for ICC punishment of Gabba
In an ICC statement on Tuesday, Richardson said the pitch for the opening test of the ICC World Test Championship series in Australia was not an even contest between bat and ball.
The Brisbane Cricket Ground was subsequently awarded a demerit point under the ICC Fields and Grounds Monitoring Process.
“Overall, Gabba’s bowling for this Test match was too much in the bowlers’ favour. There was extra rebounding and occasional excessive movement of the seams,” Richardson said.
“The odd delivery also stayed low on the second day, making it very difficult for hitters to build partnerships.
“I found the pitch to be ‘below average’ under ICC guidelines, as it was not an even contest between bat and ball.”
Richardson’s report was sent to Cricket Australia.
In the revised ICC Field and Field Monitoring Process, demerit points will remain active for a continuous period of five years.
“When a venue accumulates five demerit points (or exceeds that threshold), it will be suspended from hosting any international cricket for a period of 12 months, while a venue will not be able to host any international cricket for 24 months when it reaches the threshold of 10 demerit points.“
The Proteas follow the three match Test series 1-0, with the second Test scheduled to start from Boxing Day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The game starts at 01:20 SA time.
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