ICC docks Windsor Park a demerit point for preparing a 'below average' pitch for 1st Test between India and West Indies
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has punished Windsor Park in Roseau for preparing a pitch below standards for the first Test between India and West Indies, which started on July 12, 2023.
Match referee Jeff Crowe was critical of the pitch, which resulted in the contest being wrapped up in quick time, and awarded it a 'below average' rating. Cricket West Indies do have the option of contesting the verdict.
Additionally, the pitch used for the Queen's Park Oval in Jamaica for the second Test of the series has been given an 'average' rating by the ICC. The contest was drawn due to heavy rain on the final day. The Men in Blue were eight wickets away from completing a whitewash and had to settle for a 1-0 series lead.
The series marked the first endeavor for both sides in the 2023-25 cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC).
India won the first Test at Windsor Park by an innings and 141 runs
The Men in Blue had played the inaugural Test at the venue during their tour of 2011 and returned after a gap of 12 years. The series opener was also the venue's first time hosting a Test since 2017.
The visitors had bundled out West Indies for just 150 runs in the first innings, with Ravichandran Ashwin picking up five wickets.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, making his debut, scored a brilliant 171 while skipper Rohit Sharma also hit a hundred. Following a fifty from Virat Kohli as well, Team India declared at 421-5. In reply, West Indies could only manage 130 runs in the second innings. Ravichandran Ashwin picked up seven wickets in the second innings, taking his match tally to 12 wickets.
India and West Indies also battled it out in the white-ball formats as well upon the conclusion of the Test series. The Men in Blue won the ODI series by a 2-1 margin, while West Indies won their first series over India since 2006, with a 3-2 score in the five-match T20I affair.
Will the rating for the pitch used for the first Test be reversed by the ICC upon a potential appeal? Let us know what you think.