The International Cricket Council (ICC) has declared the pitch for the second Test of the ICC World Test Championship series between Bangladesh and New Zealand at Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur as “unsatisfactory” under the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process.
ICC Match Referee David Boon submitted his report expressing the concerns of the match officials after consulting with the captains of both teams. Following the assessment, the venue has received one demerit point.
The report has been forwarded to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), who have 14 days to appeal against the sanction if they wish to do so.
Mr. Boon stated, “The outfield was very good and held up extremely well with the rain. However, it appeared that the pitch may have been underprepared, as it was not hard and was covered in grass clippings on day one. From the first session onwards, throughout the remainder of the match, the bounce was inconsistent, with numerous balls bursting the surface. Deliveries from spin bowlers often went over the batter’s shoulder when playing forward and then occasionally stayed very low.”
