The Rawalpindi ground where England won a memorable first Test against Pakistan was ruled “below par” by the match referee.
The pitches of each international match are rated, with negative ratings resulting in demerit points, the accumulation of which could lead to suspension of staging rights.
The below average score gave Rawalpindi a demerit point.
This is the second time this year that the pitch has been awarded a demerit point.
The ground for the first Test draw between Pakistan and Australia in March was also rated as below average.
If a venue receives five demerit points over a five-year period, it will be suspended from hosting international cricket for 12 months.
The six ratings that can be given to a pitch or outfield are very good, good, average, below average, poor, and unfit.
Rawalpindi’s flat ground resulted in 1,768 runs scored, the most in history for a Test contested over a maximum of five days.
Despite the lack of encouragement for bowlers, England managed to force a famous win in the dying moments of the final day.
Match umpire Andy Pycroft said: “It was a very flat pitch which gave almost no assistance to any type of bowler. That was the main reason the batters scored very quickly and both teams posted huge totals, and the pitch didn’t deteriorate much over the course of the match.
“As there was very little for bowlers, I found the field to be ‘below average’ under ICC guidelines.”
England followed up their victory in Rawalpindi with success on the second test in Multan to take an unassailable 2-0 series lead. They will look for a clean sweep in the final test in Karachi, which begins on Saturday.
