According to ICC’s process, the match referee is expected to complete a “Pitch and Outfield Report Form” and send it across to the ICC’s General Manager – Cricket, who is in this particular case, is Allardice. That’s how I was drafted into the team after being rejected the earlier year.
Advertisement
India have won the series, and there is one final match, in Delhi, to be played. For South Africa, only AB de Villiers has managed to fire a half-century in the series, with captain Hashim Amla particularly struggling, scoring just 83 runs in four innings. The final match of the rubber is scheduled from December 3 here.
Kohli was visibly annoyed when asked if he thought the test at Ferozeshah Kotla would go beyond three days.
“Nothing wrong with that”. To hell with the five days. The main Square of Kotla has been covered for last few days due to Foggy Delhi Weather.
Mishra warned that the Proteas would have to improve their technique against spin to avoid another defeat.
“It just goes to show that with the amount of one-day cricket being played, the tendency to graft, the tendency to spend long hours at the crease is diminishing”, the former opener and left-arm spinner said.
“And when you saw Hashim [Amla] and Faf [du Plessis] batting, you thought there was nothing in the pitch”.
Said Birrell here, “We have had a look at the pitch”.
They have, though, fared better than their counterparts. I think it’s a one-off incident. We get out playing flick shots, but we don’t stop playing that.
“(The pitch was) absolutely not (a problem).
Morkel bowled Vijay who meant to play through the leg side but missed the ball to be adjudged leg before the wicket (LBW).
When the board itself is acquiescing with the national team in doctoring pitches, how will it punish its affiliates for the using the same yardstick to win matches in domestic cricket?
Considering fans’ dwindling interests in the traditional format, at one point, we argue that nobody has the time to watch a five-day Test. And then, when Indian spinners bundle out an opponent twice inside three days, instead of lauding their herculean efforts, it’s sad to see the fraternity blame result-oriented pitches.
The ICC has categorised the pitches as “poor” and “unfit”, and with the VCA ground at Nagpur getting a poor rating, the BCCI has to put up a convincing defence, in order to escape a censure or monetary fine.
“Where was inconsistent bounce?” He has the best bowling figure in a match and also in an innings in this series with 7/66 in the second innings of the third Test and a total of 12 wickets conceding only 98 runs in the game. “But as a batsman, you are never settled”, he added.
Advertisement
“It’s hard for me to comment, to be honest with you, especially being on the losing side, so I will have to try and reserve my comments if that’s okay with you”, he said.
