Mirpur pitch gets one demerit point after unsatisfactory rating by ICC

NEW DELHI: The Mirpur pitch, which was the venue for the second and final Test match between Bangladesh and New Zealand, has been given a demerit point by the International Cricket Council (ICC) due to its unsatisfactory rating.

In the assessment by ICC match referee David Boon, concerns were raised about the pitch potentially being underprepared. He noted issues with the deliveries from spin bowlers, mentioning that they often went over the batter's shoulder when playing forward and occasionally stayed very low.

Such concerns about the pitch's quality have led to the imposition of a demerit point as per the ICC's pitch and outfield monitoring process. New Zealand won the match by four wickets to level the two-match series, thanks to Glenn Phillips' all-round performance.

The match overall saw just 178.1 overs of action over the course of 3 1/2 days after all of Day 2 and some sizable chunks of the first and third days got chopped off due to rain and wet outfields, making it the shortest-ever Test in Mirpur. A total of 36 wickets fell in that period.

The report highlighting the unsatisfactory rating of the Mirpur pitch has been forwarded to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). The BCB has a period of 14 days to appeal against the sanction imposed by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Demerit points remain active for a rolling five-year period and when a venue accumulates six demerit points it is suspended from staging any international cricket for 12 months.

(With AP inputs)