India and South Africa were part of history in the New Year Test played at Newlands in Cape Town. The match concluded in just 107 overs, with the visitors winning by seven wickets to level the two-match series. Even India's skipper, Rohit Sharma, expressed his views, targeting experts and the ICC regarding fairness in assessing pitches in India and SENA countries. He was open to playing on pitches like Newlands but wanted people to 'shut their mouth' about pitches in India.
Meanwhile, the ICC has taken serious note of the pitch controversy at Newlands and rated it 'unsatisfactory.' The match referee, Chris Broad, submitted his report, and the decision was made after completing the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process. "The pitch in Newlands was very difficult to bat on. The ball bounced quickly and sometimes alarmingly throughout the match, making it challenging to play shots. Several batters were hit on the gloves, and many wickets also fell due to the awkward bounce," Broad said, according to the ICC.
According to ICC rules, one demerit point is awarded to pitches rated as unsatisfactory by the match referee. If a venue accumulates six demerit points, it is suspended from hosting international cricket for a year. The suspension period increases to two years for 12 demerit points. Moreover, the demerit points remain active for a rolling period of five years. Cricket South Africa (CSA), the home board, will now have 14 days to appeal against the ICC's rating.
Shifting to the Test match specifics, South Africa chose to bat first but faced a challenging situation, getting dismissed for a mere 55 runs before lunch on Day one, with Mohammed Siraj achieving remarkable figures of 6/15. In response, India encountered a tough inning, getting bundled out for 153 runs and witnessing a historic collapse of the last six wickets for zero runs – a record low in Test cricket. The hosts displayed improvement in the second innings, posting 176 runs, propelled by a stunning century from Aiden Markram. However, India successfully chased down the target of 79 runs in just 12 overs, securing victory with seven wickets in hand and leveling the series.
