.jpg?type=hq)
Eden Gardens pitch - (Source: Johns/X.com)
In a major development around Indian cricket, reports suggest that the ICC has given a ‘satisfactory’ rating to the Eden Gardens pitch for the Test between India and South Africa on 14th November. It was a low-scoring affair as neither of the two teams managed to cross the 200-run mark. Further, India failed to chase down a 124-run target.
The surface was heavily critcised, and the curator were under scanner for the bowling-friendly surface. However, the ICC too has come to the conclusion that it was the batters who struggled and rated the pitch ‘Satisfactory’, which is the second-best rating for a strip as per ICC’s new categories as reported by Times of India.
Guwahati pitch earns best rating
Besides the Kolkata pitch, the ICC has also rated the Guwahati strip, which hosted its first-ever Test match on November 22. It was a proper five-day Test match, and the International Cricket Council are pretty happy with the surface. Therefore, the Jay Shah-led board has passed a ‘very good’ rating for the Barsapara Stadium pitch.
For the unversed, the ICC has four categories of ratings. A “very good” rating is the highest of the four rating categories, with “satisfactory”, “unsatisfactory”, and “unfit” below it.
ICC rates MCG pitch ‘unsatisfactory’
The recent development around Indian pitches has come around a time when there is a debate around the MCG pitch. Notably, the recent Boxing Day Test in Melbourne ended in two days after the curators left 10mm grass on the pitch.
The ICC eventually penalised the MCG curators and rated the surface as 'unsatisfactory' and also fined them a demerit point. If the ground accumulates six demerit points over a five-year period, it can be banned from hosting matches for 12 months.
.jpg)
