Bangladesh Cricket Board contests 'Below Average' Rating for Mirupur Pitch

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has appealed against the one demerit point imposed on the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium for a “below average” pitch used during the second Test between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka from 8-10 February 2018. The encounter concluded in a matter of just three to four days, something that caught the attention of those grading pitches behind the International Cricket Council. Sri Lanka batted first following the draw in the first Test match.

What caught the attention of one and all was the fact that the wicket began to offer turn at the very beginning, something that most international wickets cease to offer. The Lankans, riding on some splendid batting performances from the likes of Kusal Mendis and Dhanajaya de Silva, and then subsequently Roshen Silva went on to secure a win. The victory, despite fruitful for the Lankans went ahead and ensured that David Boon, the former Australian batsman would indeed award a demerit point for the wicket for the inconsistency in the spin.

This is not the first time the Mirpur wicket has been called into question, to say the least. David Boon of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees rated the pitch below average according to the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process, citing uneven bounce throughout the match and inconsistent turn.

Hearing to take place on March 14th

The appeal will be heard by 14 March as per the period stipulated in the Pitch Monitoring Process and will be determined by Geoff Allardice, General Manager – Cricket, and Anil Kumble, Chair of the Cricket Committee.

The appeal will be determined to take into consideration the match referee’s report, a report from the home board, videos of the match and the grounds for appeal as submitted by the BCB today.

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