Just In: The Rawalpindi pitch on which England played their first test match after 17 years and defeated Pakistan is rated as “Below Average” by the match referee, and one demerit point has been awarded to Rawalpindi’s pitch.
Match Referee Andy Pycroft said, “It was a flat surface which did not assist bowlers. That was the prime reason batters scored quickly, and both sides posted huge totals. The pitch barely changed throughout the game. Since there was nothing for the bowlers, I found the pitch to be “below average” as per the ICC guideline.”
It is pertinent to mention that Pitches hosting International Matches are rated. If a pitch is awarded a negative rating, it results in demerit points, of which accumulation could lead to a ban of a particular surface from staging further games.
Unfortunately, Rawalpindi’s pitch has been given demerit points for the second time this year. Before this test, a pitch for a drawn test between Pakistan and Australia was also rated below average and awarded one negative point.
According to ICC rules, there are six ratings of Pitches and Outfields – Very Good, Good, Average, Below Average, Poor, and Unfit. Notably, if a pitch gets five demerit points within a span of five-year, it will be banned from hosting international cricket matches for 12 months.
The surface prepared for Rawalpindi’s test sustained 1,786 runs in five days, the highest in the history of a Test match. Even though the batters were dominant on this pitch, the England side still managed to defeat Pakistan on the very last day.
