DUBAI (Kashmir English): The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday withdrew its demerit point imposed on Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium for matches held in June after the appeal submitted by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
Earlier, the ICC rated the pitch of Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium used for the one-day international (ODI) match between Pakistan and Australia on June 4 as unsatisfactory and awarded one demerit point.
The cricket council had said that match referee Graeme La Brooy said the Gaddafi pitch was slow and low and made scoring runs very difficult.
However, in today’s statement, the cricketing body stated that the ICC Appeals Panel revoked the demerit point after reviewing match footage, Match Referees’ reports, and official comments from the respective team captains.
“The panel noted that while the guidelines of the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process were followed by the Match Referee, the pitch did not demonstrate excessive unevenness or spin,” it stated.
Moreover, the Maple Leaf Cricket Ground in King City, Toronto, had also received an “Unsatisfactory” rating for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 match between the United States of America and the Netherlands on June 8, alongside an “Unfit” rating for a subsequent match of the same series between Canada and the Netherlands on 16 June.
“Regarding the 8 June fixture, the Appeals Panel felt that while guidelines had been followed by the Match Referee, the condition of the surface was consistent with that of a satisfactory pitch and did not demonstrate excessive unevenness, seam movement or spin, leading to the withdrawal of the demerit point,” the statement added.
However, the three demerit points imposed for the “Unfit” rating on 16 June remain on record for the venue. The panel considered that the condition of the pitch was dangerous and thus consistent with that of an Unfit pitch.
Following the rulings, the Maple Leaf Cricket Ground holds three demerit points on its record, while Gaddafi Stadium carries zero demerit points.
