ICC reverses demerit point on Gaddafi Stadium pitch used in Pakistan-Australia ODI

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has overturned a demerit point imposed on Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium over the pitch used during the third ODI between Pakistan and Australia in June, according to ESPNcricinfo.

An ICC appeals panel reviewed the match footage, match referee’s assessment and feedback from the two teams before deciding that the playing surface did not exhibit an excessive degree of unevenness or turn to warrant the sanction.

The decision removes the first demerit point ever awarded to Gaddafi Stadium.

The venue had initially been marked “unsatisfactory” by match referee Graeme Labrooy following the low-scoring encounter, which Pakistan won by four wickets after dismissing Australia for 157 in 42 overs.

Labrooy had criticised the surface for being slow and low, saying it made scoring difficult and provided considerable assistance to spinners from the early stages of the match. It was the only game in the three-match ODI series in which neither side managed to reach 200.

Pakistan had adopted spin-friendly pitches throughout the series, with the three matches staged at Rawalpindi and Lahore. Then Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi had defended the approach, saying the conditions were part of the home side’s strategy.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had indicated after the original ruling that it was examining the ICC’s findings and considering an appeal. The board has now successfully challenged the sanction.

This marks the second occasion on which the PCB has overturned an ICC pitch-related penalty. The board previously succeeded in its appeal against a demerit point awarded to Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium following the Pakistan-England Test in December 2022.

England won that match by 74 runs after scoring a remarkable 506-4 on the opening day, with the pitch initially being rated “unsatisfactory”.

Gaddafi Stadium is scheduled to host four ODIs in October as part of a triangular series involving Pakistan, Sri Lanka and England. It is also due to stage the second Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in November.

Meanwhile, an ICC appeals panel has upheld a three-demerit-point penalty against Toronto’s Maple Leaf Cricket Ground over the pitch used for the Canada-Netherlands Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 match on June 16.

However, the panel overturned an earlier “unsatisfactory” rating for the surface used in the June 8 match between the United States and the Netherlands, concluding that it met the standard of a satisfactory pitch.