Pakistan cricket chiefs have won their appeal over the state of their Gaddafi Stadium pitch in Lahore, which had been ruled 'unsatisfactory' when they beat Australia in a one-day international in June.
The International Cricket Council's appeals panel on Thursday revoked the demerit point imposed after the low-scoring third match in which Australia were bowled out for 157 before Pakistan went on to win by four wickets to seal the three-match series 2-1.
The ICC said the panel had rescinded the sanction after reviewing match footage, the report of match referee Graeme Labrooy and comments from the two captains.
The ICC has announced its decision on the pitch rating for the Gaddafi stadium.https://t.co/GR8g1DKllw
— ICC (@ICC) August 20, 2026
Australia's skipper Josh Inglis had made light of the conditions, top-scoring with 65 after deciding they should bat first in the day-nighter.
The appeal panel judged that "the pitch did not demonstrate excessive unevenness or spin."
Sri Lankan Labrooy had felt the pitch wasn't suitable for an ODI while the batters had found it difficult to score runs because it was slow and low, leaving the PCB to suggest at the time that it was contemplating a challenge.
It was the first time the Gaddafi Stadium had been handed a demerit point, but it wasn't the first time the Pakistan Cricket Board had succeeded in overturning a pitch-related sanction imposed by the ICC.
The PCB also managed to get a demerit point overturned after the Test match at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium between Pakistan and England in 2022 that Ben Stokes' side won by 74 runs in a match that produced 1768 runs, the third-highest aggregate in any Test.
The Gaddafi Stadium is set to host four ODIs in a triangular series featuring Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and England in October, as well as the second Test against Sri Lanka in November.
