The International Cricket Council (ICC) has deemed the Newlands pitch in Cape Town as “unsatisfactory” following the second Test between South Africa and India, which concluded in less than two full days.
ICC match referee Stuart Broad expressed concerns about the pitch’s difficulty for batsmen, citing quick and sometimes alarming bounce that made shot execution challenging. Several batters faced issues with awkward bounce, leading to gloves getting hit and wickets falling.
In response to the pitch assessment, the Newlands pitch has been assigned one demerit point, according to the ICC. A venue accumulating six demerit points faces a 12-month suspension from hosting international cricket. Should the demerit points reach 12, the suspension period extends to 24 months. Cricket South Africa has a 14-day window to appeal against the sanction.
The Test match itself saw a dramatic turn of events. South Africa, opting to bat on a pitch offering extra bounce, were bowled out for a mere 55 in the first session. India, despite reaching 153/4, collapsed for the same score, as Proteas pacers wreaked havoc.
On Day 1’s conclusion, Proteas, trailing India by 98 runs, took to the crease again. Despite a resilient century from Aiden Markram, they were bundled out for 176, leaving India a target of 79 runs for victory. Yashasvi Jaiswal’s confident start, with a knock of 28 off 23 deliveries, set the tone for India. Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli fell quickly, but Shreyas Iyer sealed the win with a boundary, sharing the series 1-1 with skipper Rohit Sharma.