BCCI set to appeal ICC's 'poor' verdict for Indore pitch used for 3rd IND vs AUS Test - Reports 

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will appeal the 'poor' rating issued by International Cricket Council (ICC) match referee Chris Broad for the pitch at the Holkar Stadium in Indore.

According to a report by Cricbuzz, the board has a total of 14 days to appeal the decision. The venue hosted the third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, a fixture that ended within three days in favor of the visitors.

The surface, much like its predecessors in the series, was heavily scrutinized. Team India were bundled out for 102 in just over a session, with left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann picking up a five-wicket haul before Lunch on Day 1 itself.

Following the 'poor' verdict, Holkar Stadium was handed three demerit points. A pitch with a poor rating receives a total of three demerit points, while a below-average rating will see a punishment worth one demerit point.

According to the ICC guidelines, a venue will be banned from hosting international matches for a 12-month period, should it accumulate five demerit points over a five-year rolling period. The rule explicitly states:

"When a venue accumulates five demerit points (or crosses that threshold), it will be suspended from hosting any international cricket for a period of 12 months, while a venue will be suspended from staging any international cricket for 24 months when it reaches the threshold of 10 demerit points."

The pitch was highly talked about even after the culmination of the contest. Team India skipper Rohit Sharma asserted in his post-match comments that too much attention was paid to the pitches on offer.

In stark contrast, the fourth and final Test yielded a dull draw after five days of play, which saw only 22 wickets being claimed.

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BCCI believes the rating was doled out by the ICC in a haste

The report further states that the appeal by the BCCI was always on the cards since they believe that the verdict was issued in haste.

The 'poor' rating was cast on the very same day that the Test match came to a close, which is rather uncharacteristic when compared to the time ICC usually discloses details of the match report.

The BCCI hopes to drag the decision down to a 'below-average' rating, which will reduce two demerit points from the original decision. A two-member panel from the ICC is expected to look into the matter after the BCCI raised the subject.

Room for potential rescinding might be on the cards, especially after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) were successful in their attempt to reduce the sanction on the controversial Rawalpindi pitch used for the Test series against England.

The venue initially received a 'below average' rating and one demerit point from match referee Andy Pycroft, but a review absolved the PCB of their punishment.

Will the ICC overturn its decision concerning the Indore pitch? Let us know what you think.

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