14 March,2023 05:52 PM IST | Indore | mid-day online correspondent
Holkar stadium (Pic Courtesy: AP)
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday challenged ICC's âpoor' review of the Indore pitch by match referee Chris Broad. A two-member ICC committee will now initiate a review before the final verdict is announced within 14 days.
India were all out for 109 and 163 in their two innings while Australia managed 197 in their first essay before knocking off the required 76 runs for a win on the third morning. "ICC Match Referee Chris Broad submitted his report to the ICC expressing the concerns of the match officials and after consulting with captains of both teams. Following the assessment, the venue has received three demerit points," the release issued by the global body stated.
The poor rating also earned Indore three demerit points and will remain active for five years of rolling period. The BCCI were given 14 days to appeal against the sanction. The consultation with captains Rohit Sharma and Steve Smith meant that both concurred with Broad's assessment that it couldn't be termed a pitch which is good advertisement for international cricket.
"The pitch, which was very dry, did not provide a balance between bat and ball, favouring spinners from the start. The fifth ball of the match broke through the pitch surface and continued to occasionally break the surface providing little or no seam movement and there was excessive and uneven bounce throughout the match," Broad said.
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While cricket experts and former players have panned the pitch, Sharma said that he has no regrets playing on a result oriented track and hinted that he won't mind if something on similar lines was on offer for the Ahmedabad Test.
It is not unusual for cricket boards to challenge pitch ratings. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appealed against a demerit point given to the surface in Rawalpindi, which hosted the Test against England in December last year.
