The ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process has given the Mirpur pitch in Dhaka, where Bangladesh and New Zealand played their second Test, an “unsatisfactory” rating. The venue has also been docked one penalty point.
The pitch was strongly biased in favor of the slow bowlers, with spin accounting for up to thirty of the thirty wickets that fell during the second Test. The complaints of the match officials regarding the pitch were documented in a report that was sent to the ICC by David Boon, the game’s ICC match referee.
Boon stated, “The outfield was very good and held up extremely well with the rain,” according to the ICC. On the first day, though, the pitch looked to have been underprepared because it was not very hard and was covered in grass clippings.
“The bounce was uneven for the whole of the match, with multiple balls breaching the surface, starting in the opening session. When a batter plays forward, spin bowlers’ deliveries frequently go over his shoulder and then sporadically stay quite low.”
The demerit points will be in effect for a rolling five-year period, and any venue that accrues six or more points during that period will be barred from hosting international cricket matches for a whole year.