Gauteng Cricket Board CEO defends Wanderers pitch
ILLOVO – The Wanderers pitch was not its usual self, but it was not so poor to warrant three demerit points either, says Gauteng Cricket Board.
Gauteng Cricket Board CEO, Greg Fredericks has defended the highly-criticised Bidvest Wanderers pitch after the International Cricket Council deemed it ‘poor’ and penalised the stadium with three demerit points.
The demerit points were allocated after the third Test between South Africa and India which the visitors won by 63 runs in a low-scoring game in January in which the batsmen struggled to cope with erratic bounce.
Also read: India and Proteas wrestle it out at the Wanderers
In one incident during the match, Dean Elgar was hit on the grill of his helmet by a bouncer and umpires nearly called the game off.
Speaking to Rosebank Killarney Gazette, Fredericks said that particular short ball did not have unusual bounce, and while the pitch was below the standards expected of a usual Wanderers pitch, it was not worthy of being penalised with three demerit points.
He explained that leading up to the Test match, the Proteas team had specifically asked for pace and bounce, which the Wanderers usually provides anyway.
“I met the groundsman on the Tuesday before the match and thought there was too much grass on it, but he said it was already shaved and would be alright.” Fredericks added that later on the Proteas team manager also gave the all-clear for the pitch before the start of the game.
“I am not a pitch expert but I believe there are three things that affect the condition of a cricket pitch – how hard you roll the pitch with the roller, how much water has been on the pitch, and how much grass there is.”
He said the captains opted for a hard-rolled pitch, the pitch did not receive the water that was expected from that week’s rain predictions, and there was perhaps too much grass.
Furthermore, the match referee apparently told Fredericks that only 10 balls had bounced erratically on day two, and 15 on day three, and that the ball that struck Elgar was just a normal short ball.
“The three demerit points is a disappointment but we have learned our lesson.”
Fredericks added that being under no pressure to produce a certain pitch, the upcoming games at the Wanderers will feature a wicket more evenly suited to both batsmen and bowlers.
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