After the first Test between Australia and Pakistan resulted in a draw in Rawalpindi, the pitch has been receiving flak.
According to Ranjan Madugalle, the ICC match referee, the Rawalpindi pitch did not have much to offer for both bat and ball.
It did not see a deterioration in the five days as well.
Madugalle also felt that the pitch did not offer any contest between bat and ball.
As a result, the pitch has been deemed as ‘below average’ by the ICC.
This has given the Rawalpindi pitch one demerit point as a result.
Even Steven Smith and PCB chairman Ramiz Raja termed the pitch as ‘dead’ and ‘not good advertisement for Test cricket’.
The PCB has accepted ICC’s decision and the overhauling of pitches at Karachi and Lahore and other stadiums has begun in full flow.
In 2018, ICC did a revision of its pitch and outfield monitoring rules in which they have given a 6 scale marker that rates the pitch as Very Good, Good, Average, Below Average, Poor and Unfit.
The Rawalpindi pitch earned ‘below average’ due to which it earned a single demerit point.
But had it earned poor or unfit from the ICC, it would have given them 3 or 5 demerit points.
If a pitch accumulates more than 5 demerit points, the venue cannot hold matches for a year.
And if a pitch accumulates more than 10 demerit points, then the venue cannot hold matches for 2 years.
