BCCI not worried about ICC’s “poor” pitch review
Indian cricket’s governing body BCCI is unfazed by the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) review of the performance of the Nagpur pitch, which hosted the third Test between India and South Africa. ICC had announced on Tuesday that the Nagpur pitch was rated as 'poor' by the Match Referee Jeff Crowe.
Even though the Test between India and South Africa was over in three days, the controversy surrounding the pitch at Nagpur is still playing out with the ICC and the BCCI jumping into the fray. After Match Referee Jeff Crowe submitted his report with concerns regarding the poor performance of the pitch, the ICC forwarded the report to the BCCI for a response within 14 days time.
However, the BCCI officials are not worried about the ICC’s concerns. "We will provide them video evidence of the game to show that not a single delivery bounced awkwardly during the game," said a BCCI official, reported Times of India.
Coincidentally, the first day-night Test between Australia and New Zealand at Adelaide, which ran parallel to the Ind-SA Test, also saw the match end in three days.
After the BCCI’s response, Geoff Allardice, ICC's General Manager Cricket, and Ranjan Madugalle, the ICC's Chief Match Referee, will consider the evidence before reaching a conclusion on the performance of the pitch. If the pitch is found to be sub-standard, then sanctions could be imposed ranging from a warning to a fine of $15,000.