Gabba pitch is graded ‘below average’ by the ICC after Australia beat South Africa in two days
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Gabba’s terrible pitching is rated ‘below average’ by the ICC after the South Africa captain blew up a ‘dangerous’ surface during a two-day rapid test: ‘It was not an even contest between bat and ball ‘
- Gabba’s release has been rated ‘below average’ by the ICC
- Players, fans and pundits criticized the state of the pitch in Brisbane.
- ICC match referee Richie Richardson says the pitch was not up to scratch
- The Gabba has been awarded a point of demerit that will last for five years.
The Gabba ground has avoided the dreaded ‘poor’ rating from the International Cricket Council after Australia’s first Test against South Africa ended in just two days.
Pat Cummins’ side won 1-0 in the three match series on Sunday when they fell 34 wickets in six sessions of play, making it the first Test on Australian soil in 91 years to end in two days.
Match umpire Richie Richardson called the pitch “below average”, saying it was “not an even contest between bat and ball”.
The Gabba pitch has been rated “below average” by the International Cricket Council
“In general, Gabba’s tone for this Test match was too pro-bowlers,” said Richardson.
‘There was added bounce and occasional excessive movement of the seams.
“The odd delivery also stayed low on the second day, making it very difficult for hitters to build partnerships.”
Proteas captain Dean Elgar called the pitch dangerous in his post-match press conference, saying he asked the officials how much longer the match should go on before it was deemed unsafe.
The playing surface standard crashed after the Australian Test lasted two days.
“I don’t think it was a very good Test wicket,” Elgar said.
Australia captain Pat Cummins was baffled by Elgar’s assessment but said a two-day test was “probably not ideal”.
Australia assistant coach Daniel Vettori said that “the occasional test matches aren’t the worst”.
“I think I’ve seen worse,” he said.
“It was really difficult conditions and from time to time as a bowling group you don’t care about that.”
South Africa captain Dean Elgar felt that the surface could become dangerous for the players.
The ICC have taken one demerit point off the Brisbane venue for producing such a green and bowler-friendly pitch.
The demerit point will remain on the Gabba’s record for the next five years.
If a ground receives five demerit points, it risks being banned from hosting international matches.
It’s a better result than many had anticipated for Gabba, and some experts fear he could receive a “poor” rating like the MCG in 2017.
The Boxing Day Test wicket crashed after a dull draw in which only 24 wickets were taken over five days.
Cricket Australia had 14 days to provide a response to the ICC as to why MCG’s wicket was poor.