ICC rates Leeds pitch good, other 3 ‘satisfactory’; verdict on Oval pitch awaited

The International Cricket Council has rated the surface used for IND vs ENG 1st Test at Headingley, Leeds as ‘good’ while rest of the surfaces have been deemed just ‘satisfactory’. The recently concluded five-match Test series was a run-fest that saw 6736 runs being scored by the batters, the second highest after the Ashes in 1993. After losing at Leeds and Lord’s, India managed to draw the contest at Old Trafford and clinch their narrowest Test win at the Kennington Oval to level the series 2-2 and finish the tour on a high note.

IND vs ENG: Only Leeds pitch deemed good by ICC

As per Times of India, the ICC rated the pitch used at Headingley, Leeds in the IND vs ENG 1st Test as “good”. The pitch for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Test, held at Edgbaston in Bimingham, Lord’s in London and Old Trafford in Manchester were deemed “satisfactory.” Meanwhile, the ICC’s rating for the fifth and final Test at the Kennington Oval in London is still awaited, as per the report.

Embarking from the trend of favouring bowlers, the pitches in England heavily favoured the batters in the IND vs ENG series. Apart from 6737 runs scored in the course of the series, 19 hundred-run partnerships and 21 centuries were recorded during the five-match series. Out of the 21 hundreds, 12 were scored by India and 9 by England. Centurions for India included KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, captain Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja.

Meanwhile, the bowlers bowled 1860.4 overs – the highest for a series in England in the 21st century. Out of these, India bowled 808.4 overs and picked up 84 wickets while England bowled 1052 overs. Siraj turned out to be the highest wicket-taker in the series, having picked up 23 scalps followed by England’s Josh Tongue with 19 wickets.