NEW DELHI: Even as Ferozeshah Kotla’s
fate as an international venue hangs in balance, it now transpires that an ICC
inspection team had warned against hosting a match at the stadium because the
pitch was just not up to the mark.

Blog:
Surprised so few games are called off

The International Cricket
Council team visited Kotla on November 4, three days after India’s ODI against
Australia, and made a damning observation of the pitch in their report.

“There is an ODI at this venue on December 27, 2009 and considerable
improvement of the pitch block will be required by then to make the pitch
provided more acceptable” they said.

They also took note of the fact
that the previous matches on the relaid track had witnessed low and uneven
bounce, according to a website report.

“During the Champions League
and the India-Australia ODI series, it was well documented that the performance
and condition of the pitches at the stadium were a cause of concern for the
players,” he said.

The report said Delhi and District Cricket
Association would have to make an effort to upgrade the pitch before the 2011
World Cup.

“The pitch block was reconstructed recently and it is
clear to see that there are some important issues with the present condition of
the pitch surface that it is essential to address prior to 2011 World Cup,” the
report said.

The panel also observed that the local groundsmen
differed with Daljit Singh, who headed the BCCI Grounds and Pitches Committee
which was disbanded on Sunday, on a number of issues.

“It was
apparent when speaking with the local officials that they are reluctant to
openly discuss the problems they are having with the pitch and that they are to
some extent in variance with the BCCI Pitch Consultant (Daljit Singh) regarding
how they are to move forward to resolve the problems with this surface,” the
report added.

The panel was also irked with the DDCA for insisting
on replanting the track with local grass.

“To simply replant without
this major renovation of the surface would be a major miscalculation, and would
result in inadequate pitches at a later date,” they said.

“The dead
and the decaying grass and roots left in the soil profile will break down into
organic matter and will contribute to the dilution of the clay content of the
soil and contribute to the pitches produced in the future being slow in pace,
spongy in texture, and would tend to generate slow and inconsistent bounce from
the pitches in the future,” they observed.

DURBAN: Opening batsman Alastair Cook
continued to frustrate South Africa with a dogged half century that helped
England reach 190 for three at lunch on the third day of the second Test at
Kingsmead on Monday.

Scorecard

Cook
was 75 not out at the interval after 262 minutes at the crease, relying on a
watchful technique and determination to record his 21st test
fifty.

Paul Collingwood was unbeaten on nine at the break, bringing a
typically business-like approach to the crease as he and Cook added 35 in 55
minutes before the interval.

The hosts performed much better with the
ball than they had the previous evening, with the wickets of Jonathan Trott (18)
and Kevin Pietersen (31) taken as a result of sticking to the right line and
length and creating pressure.

England resumed on their overnight
score of 103-1 in reply to South Africa’s first innings 343 and Trott was back
in the pavilion after just seven balls had been bowled.

Morne Morkel
bowled a back-of-a-length delivery that bounced appreciably and Trott pushed
hard at the ball and edged it to wicketkeeper Mark Boucher, who dived in front
of first slip to take a good catch.

Pietersen handled the quick
bowlers with ease in scoring 31 off 52 balls but became frustrated by left-arm
spinner Paul Harris and was trapped lbw when he missed the ball while attempting
a sweep shot.

Dropped by Kallis when on 20, South African-born
Pietersen will rue the fact he failed to make the most of ideal batting
conditions on his former home ground under a cloudless sky.

Cook
soldiered on through the session, looking well set as he stroked nine fours and
the left-hander also overturned a decision to give him out caught bat/pad at
short-leg off JP Duminy on 64.

NEW DELHI: ICC chief executive Haroon
Lorgat on Monday welcomed India’s effort to squeeze in a two-Test series against
South Africa early next year and asked member boards to find a balance between
cricket’s three formats.

“It’s the responsibility of the member
boards to schedule bilateral series. I learnt that initially no Test had been
scheduled but they will now play a two-Test series and perhaps that’s the best
that can be done in the current scenario,” Lorgat said.

India ended
the year as the number one Test team in the world only to find that they have
scheduled just two Tests in the next 11 months which the Cricket Board realised
was just not enough to protect the tag.

A last minute effort was
made to convince South Africa to drop two One-dayers and play a couple of Tests
when they tour India in February-March.

Cricket South Africa, in
principle, has agreed to the idea but the schedule has not been announced yet.

Lorgat said ICC expected its member boards to behave responsibly and
strike a balance among the three formats of the game.

“We would want
to see an appropriate balance of Test, one day and Twenty20 cricket. We have our
guideline but the specific scheduling rests with the member boards and we would
like them to be responsible enough and strike the right balance,” the ICC
official said.

Lorgat said next year’s India-South Africa Test series
would be a marquee affair.

“India have beaten some of the best teams
in the world and I’m hopeful that they would play South Africa in a two-match
Test series early next year. I think that can be billed as the battle for the
number one Test team’s tag,” Lorgat said.

Asked about the progress
made in the standoff with World Anti-Doping Agency on the vexed ‘whereabout’
clause, Lorgat made it clear that ICC was not even thinking about withdrawing
from WADA and said the issue would come up for discussion in the next ICC
Executive Committee meeting.

“Withdrawing from WADA is not an
option. The current status is that it’s a work in progress and we are working
with key members boards like India to resolve the practical problem of
‘whereabouts’ of the players.

“We have made some progress and will
put some proposals at our next Executive Committee meeting. Meanwhile, testing,
both in and out of competitions, would continue,” he added.

Lorgat
also threw his weight behind the Decision Review System, saying it was
delivering the results.

“I fully support the use of technology to
assist umpires and statistics suggest we are close to getting 100 correct
decisions. One wrong decision can change the fate of a match and that should not
happen.

“I think DRS would get even better. Already players are
using it with more circumspection. It was never meant to challenge the umpires
but to root out errors and it is working,” Lorgat added.

MELBOURNE: At the close of the third
day’s play in the first Test against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground
(MCG), Australia held a 307-run lead with seven wickets remaining.

Scorecard

Australia
were 111/3 in their second innings at stumps on Monday after bowling Pakistan
out for 258 just before tea for a first-innings lead of 196.

Shane
Watson made Australia’s 21st half-century of the season and has the opportunity
on Tuesday to convert his unbeaten 64 into his country’s first century this
summer.

Watson and Michael Clarke (21 not out) steadied their side
after Australia slumped to 3/40 on a third day that produced wickets for the new
ball and breathed life into a grind of a game.

Mohammad Asif had
Simon Katich (2) caught behind in the seventh over and Mohammad Aamer brought
his side to life with the wickets of Ricky Ponting (12) and Mike Hussey (4) in
successive overs.

For the second time this match Hussey referred to
the video when adjudged LBW and he was again unsuccessful, the third umpire
again ruling him out.

Aamer also bowled a torrid spell to Watson,
blowing a few kisses for good measure, but the Australian opener survived and
posted his second half-century for the match, following his 93 on Boxing Day.

He will aim on Tuesday to turn his start into his maiden Test
hundred and the team will be mindful of scoring quickly enough to give
themselves plenty of time to bowl Pakistan out a second time.

Earlier, left arm fast bowler Doug Bollinger took three wickets to
effect a Pakistani collapse of 4/17 across eight overs just after lunch.

Misbah-ul-Haq’s unbeaten 65 ensured Pakistan avoided the follow-on,
cleverly rotating the strike with No.11 Saeed Ajmal.

Mitchell
Johnson eventually bowled Ajmal to finish off the innings and claim the bowling
honours with 3/36, while Bollinger ended with 3/50.