India vs Australia: Pune pitch rated 'poor' by ICC match referee
While Steve O'Keefe picked 12 wickets in the match, out of 40 wickets, 31 were scalped by spinners as Australia beat India in Pune.
Dubai: Criticised for its spin-friendly nature, the Pune pitch, on which India lost to Australia by 333 runs in less than three days, was declared “poor” by ICC match referee Chris Broad on Tuesday.
In accordance with Clause 3 of the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process, Broad submitted his report to the ICC in expressing his concerns over the quality of the pitch. This report has been forwarded to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which now has 14 days to provide its response.
The BCCI’s response will be reviewed by ICC’s General Manager – Cricket, Geoff Allardice, and ICC match referee Ranjan Madugalle.
The Pune Test, which commenced on February 23, got over in under three days and the pitch for the match was criticised heavily as it started turning from first day. While Australia’s left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe picked 12 wickets in the match, out of 40 wickets, 31 were scalped by spinners as the Steve Smith-led side went on to win their first Test on Indian soil after 13 years.