The International Cricket Council has criticised Australia’s Gabba and given a below-average rating to the green top’s performance against South Africa

Richie Richardson, an ICC match referee, stated that the varying bounce and movement on offer at the Gabba in Brisbane made it “extremely tough for hitters” to bat long there.

The Gabba in Brisbane, Australia, was penalised one point by the ICC because the surface it provided for the first test match between Australia and South Africa received a rating that was below average. The test match was over in two days, and as many as 34 wickets were taken on the green top during that time.

Even though they needed only 34 runs to win in the fourth innings, Australia was able to emerge triumphant despite losing four wickets.

According to the opinions of the experts, setting the aim higher than 100 would have made things more difficult for Australia. The pitch provided an overwhelming amount of movement and bounce for the pacers on both teams.

Richie Richardson, a referee for the International Cricket Council (ICC), observed that the pitch’s unpredictable bounce and movement made it “extremely difficult for hitters” to bat long.

The pitch at the Gabba, which was being used for this Test match, was overly favourable for bowlers, overall.

There was an excessive amount of bounce, as well as some seam movement here and there. It was extremely challenging for hitters to form partnerships on the second day because the odd delivery kept the score low, as he explained.

“I judged the pitch to be “below average” according to the ICC criteria since it was not an even contest between bat and ball,” he continued. “I considered the pitch to be “below average” according to the ICC guidelines.”

Under the ICC Pitch and Outfield monitoring process, the venue was given one demerit point for having a grade that was considered to be “below ordinary.”

When a venue reaches the stage when it has accumulated five demerit points, it is barred from hosting any international cricket matches for a period of one year and must pay a fine. The demerit point system is in place for a rolling term of five years.

Many people, including the captain of the South African cricket team, Dean Elgar, voiced their disapproval of the pitch by saying things like “I don’t think that was a very good Test wicket.”

In recent years, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has given a rating that is below ordinary to a pitch for the second time.

Rawalpindi, which is located in Pakistan, received the same grade as the pitch that was used in the first Test match between Pakistan and England, which saw seven different batters on both teams achieve hundreds. This rating was given last week.