The Gabba pitch has averted the dreaded “poor” ranking from the International Cricket Council after Australia’s first Test in opposition to South Africa led to simply two days.
Pat Cummins’ crew went 1-0 up within the three-match sequence on Sunday as 34 wickets tumbled in six periods of play, making it the primary Test on Australian soil in 91 years to complete inside two days.
Match referee Richie Richardson has graded the pitch as “below average”, saying it was “not an even contest between bat and ball.”
“Overall, the Gabba pitch for this Test match was too much in favour of the bowlers,” Richardson stated.
“There was extra bounce and occasional excessive seam movement.
“The odd supply additionally saved low on the second day, making it very troublesome for batters to construct partnerships.”
Proteas captain Dean Elgar slammed the pitch as dangerous in his post-match press conference and said he asked the umpires how much longer the match should go until it was deemed unsafe.
“I do not assume it was an excellent Test wicket,” Elgar said.
Australia captain Pat Cummins was bemused with Elgar’s assessment but said a two-day Test “most likely is not ultimate”.
Australia assistant coach Daniel Vettori said for “occasional Test matches it isn’t the worst factor”.
“I believe I’ve seen worse,” he stated.
“It was simply actually robust circumstances and from time to time as a bowling group you do not thoughts that.”
The Brisbane venue has been docked one demerit point by the ICC for producing such a green, bowler-friendly pitch.
The demerit point will stay on the Gabba’s record for the next five years.
If a ground receives five demerit points it risks being banned from hosting international matches.
It is a better result than many had anticipated for the Gabba, with some experts fearing it could be slapped with a “poor” rating like the MCG in 2017.
The pitch for the Boxing Day Test was slammed following a dull draw in which only 24 wickets were taken over five days
Cricket Australia had 14 day to offer a response to the ICC about why the MCG wicket was sub-standard.
