Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Dec 20: The Brisbane pitch for Australia and South Africa’s opening Test match was graded as ‘below-average’ by the International Cricket Council.
In a fast bowler paradise, Australia overcame South Africa by 6 wickets, but what got people’s attention was the fact that 34 wickets dropped in the first two days of the Test match. No spinners were successful in the game, with the exception of Nathan Lyon, who claimed 4 wickets over the course of two innings, while the fast bowlers applied intense pressure to the opposing batting lineups.
Richie Richardson, an Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees member, gave the field a ‘below average’ rating in his assessment.
“Overall, the Gabba pitch for this Test match was too much in favour of the bowlers. There was extra bounce and occasional excessive seam movement. The odd delivery also kept low on the second day, making it very difficult for batters to build partnerships,” the ICC report read.
“I found the pitch to be “below average” as per the ICC guidelines since it was not an even contest between bat and ball,” it further added.
The game as expected, greatly favored the bowlers. In the game, Travis Head saved Australia by scoring 92 runs in Australia’s first innings and winning the man of the match award for it. Pat Cummins, the skipper of Australia, picked up 7 wickets after making a comeback from a quad injury.
Australia is presently leading the World Test Championship standings and is expected to participate in the competition’s final in 2023. Following the conclusion of their three Test matches against South Africa, Australia will travel to India for a four-match Test series.
