- M Chinnaswamy stadium has got one negative point under ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring process
- The stadium failed to deliver a Test pitch, with no constant offering for batters and bowlers
- The pitch has been rated below average by the ICC
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has rated M Chinnaswamy stadium’s pitch ‘below average’. The match referee Javagal Srinath announced the decision after India vs Sri Lanka was concluded within three days with home siders winning by 238 runs.
According to ICC laws, if a pitch is rated ‘below average’, it gets one negative point. If a pitch of a venue is rated ‘poor’, it gathers three negative points. Under the rules, if a stadium has five demerits points, it will be banned from hosting any international cricket for a year. Luckily, Bengaluru’s venue is saved.
The points stay live for a duration of five years. And if during the mentioned tenure, a venue gets five adverse points, it will be deprived of hosting international matches for 365 days under the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring process.
During this week, Bengaluru has become the second ground to gather one negative point under the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process. The Rawalpindi pitch, after the first test match between Australia and Pakistan, was drawn as a result of the five-day play, the ICC gave one demerit point to the ground.
As per the regulations, the pitch is good for a red-ball encounter if it has equal benefits for the bowlers and the batters. The Rawalpindi wicket solely favoured the batters, whereas that of Chinnaswamy ground did not have constant offering for either of the roles.
“The pitch offered a lot of turn on the first day itself and though it improved with every session, in my view, it was not an even contest between bat and ball,” match referee Srinath noted in his report.
