ICC Match Referee attaches 'poor' tag to the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Bangladesh

The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced its decision to rate the outfield at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur, Dhaka “poor”. The outfield came under the scanner during the first Test of the two-match series between Bangladesh and Australia played from August 27 to 30.

“Jeff Crowe of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees, who officiated in the first Test between Bangladesh and Australia in Dhaka from 27 to 30 August, has rated the Shere Bangla National Stadium outfield for that match as “poor.” ICC stated in a press release.

Excessive bare patches

As per the ICC’s Pitch and Outfield Manual, the official can give it a poor rating if the outfield doesn’t match the uniform standard and when there are “excessive bare patches, excessive irregular bounce, slow (heavy) pace.”

The Match Referee submitted a report to the governing body based on the Clause 3 of the pitch and outfield monitoring process. “Crowe, in accordance with Clause 3 of the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process, submitted his report to the ICC in which he expressed concern over the quality of the outfield. The report has been forwarded to the Bangladesh Cricket Board, which now has 14 days to provide its response,” it further stated.

The BCB now has a couple of weeks time to respond to the ICC, following which ICC’s General Manager – Cricket, Geoff Allardice, and Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees, Sri Lanka’s Ranjan Madugalle will review it.

This is, in fact, the third occasion in the last one year where the outfield of a stadium was rated ‘poor’ by the ICC match officials. The Kingsmead Durban in South Africa and Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain in the Caribbean Islands were also rated poor based on the Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process and thus served official warnings.