KARACHI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has assigned demerit points to Gaddafi Stadium and Lord’s Cricket Ground after recent international matches, citing concerns over pitch quality. Both venues received one demerit point each as part of the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring System.
This action follows the first Test match between England and New Zealand at Lord’s and the third One Day International between Pakistan and Australia held in Lahore. Match officials Andy Pycroft (Lord’s) and Graeme La Brooy (Lahore) submitted reports highlighting issues with the playing surfaces.
At Lord’s, Pycroft observed that the pitch exhibited “excessive seam movement” throughout the game, with unpredictable bounce and instances of the ball keeping very low. He noted that 33 wickets fell within the first two days, emphasizing that the pitch favored bowlers significantly over batsmen.
In Lahore, La Brooy described the pitch as slow and low, making batting challenging and requiring players to adapt carefully. He added that the surface initially favored spin bowlers and maintained consistent conditions, which he deemed unsuitable for standard one-day international cricket.
Both the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have been notified of these findings and have 14 days to lodge an appeal against the sanctions. It’s worth noting that neither venue had any prior demerit points on their records.
