The International Cricket Council (ICC) has handed Pakistan a major relief after a punishment handed to Lahore’s iconic Gaddafi Stadium earlier this year was rescinded. The decision was announced by the world cricket governing body on Thursday (August 20) following a review by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

For those unversed, the venue, which is Pakistan’s main cricket hub, was handed a one-demerit point. As per the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process, the surface for the third ODI between Pakistan and Australia in June was rated ‘Unsatisfactory’ by match referee Graeme La Brooy. “The pitch was slow and low and made scoring runs very difficult. It did not suit a One Day International game as batters had to spend more time to settle in. It helped spin very early in the match and continued the same way throughout,” said Brooy’s report.

However, the decision has been overturned by the ICC’s appeal panel, and the demerit point has been revoked. ‘The panel noted that while the guidelines of the ICC Pitch and Outfield Monitoring Process were followed by the match referee, ‘the pitch did not demonstrate excessive unevenness or spin,'” said the ICC’s latest statement.

This means that the venue in Lahore now has zero demerit points on their name. For those unversed, if a ground receives six demerit points in a 12-month period, it is handed a ban of 12 months from hosting any international fixture.

The series decided between Pakistan and Australia was a closely fought low-scoring game, which the hosts won by four wickets. The World Champions were bowled out for 157, while later the Men in Green chased the total to seal a four-wicket win with 49 balls to spare. Interestingly, pacer Shaheen Afridi (3-30), who is also Pakistan’s captain, had the best bowling figures.