The International Cricket Council (ICC) has withdrawn a demerit point given to Pakistan's Rawalpindi Stadium which hosted a test match between Pakistan and England, PCB chairman Najam Sethi said. The venue hosted the first test of the series and witnessed some huge totals with little assistance for bowlers. ICC had then awarded a demerit point, but after PCB's letter, the Board has withdrawn it.
Interacting with media in Lahore, the PCB chairman Najam Sethi informed about the International Cricket body's move. "We wrote a long and strong letter to the ICC as soon as I became chairman, outlining the records of other venues and challenging on what grounds Pindi stadium should be given a demerit point when we even had a result in the said match," Sethi told the media in Lahore. "I am glad to announce the ICC have accepted our point of view and withdrawn the demerit point," he added.
The match witnessed some quick-fire runs where England managed to win by 74 runs. Ramiz Raja had also labelled the pitch 'embarrassing' and Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees Andy Pycroft agreed on it. "It was a very flat pitch which gave almost no assistance to any type of bowler. That was the main reason why batters scored very fast and both sides posted huge totals," Pycroft said.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) lashed out at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for preparing a ‘below average' pitch for the first Test match in Rawalpindi. The ICC released a statement regarding the case where the match officials and the technical committee found the pitch not up to the standards prescribed by the ICC.
"ICC Elite Panel of Match Referee Andy Pycroft has rated the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium pitch that was used for the first match of the ICC World Test Championship series between Pakistan and England as "below average" and the venue has received one demerit point under the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process," ICC said in a media release.
