South Africa vs India 2018: Wanderers pitch rated 'poor' by ICC

What's the story?

The much-criticised Wanderers pitch, the venue of the third India-South Africa Test, has been rated 'poor' by match referee Andy Pycroft.

Reports in The Times of India state that the ICC deemed the pitch poor after it "displayed excessive unevenness of bounce for any bowler at any stage of the match".

In case you didn't know...

This is the second time in consecutive India-South Africa Test series that a pitch has been rated 'poor'. In 2015, during South Africa's tour of India, the Nagpur pitch, carrying lots of turn, was deemed poor, with the match ending in three days.

Play was called off early on the third day of the Test amidst growing concerns of a dangerous pitch, which was said to be lopsided in favour of the bowlers. Before that, Dean Elgar was hit on the helmet by a Jasprit Bumrah bouncer.

The heart of the matter

The Wanderers stadium will now receive three demerit points from the ICC, which will remain active for a 'five-year rolling period'. It also means that the pitch is now in the red zone, although it won't be immediately suspended from hosting international games. If, within the next five years, the pitch gets two more demerit points, it will be suspended from hosting international games for a year.

Cricket South Africa reserves the right to challenge the verdict and can appeal against the rating within two weeks of having received the notification.

What's next?

The Test series done and dusted, the action now moves to the six-match ODI series, with the first game to be held at Durban on February 1.

Authors' take

Questions will be asked about the nature of the pitch, which was visibly dangerous to bat on. Deliveries pitched on length were jumping off the surface, which could have led to a serious injury. The ICC should make sure that the regulations in place for pitches are uniform throughout the world, so that the contest between bat and ball stays in balance, just like it should be.