ICC penalises Newlands for shortest Test in history. GETTY IMAGES

India triumphed over South Africa last Thursday. It was the shortest Test match in history in terms of overs bowled. Only 107 overs were bowled in the four innings of the two-day match. As a result, the ICC gave the Newlands Cricket Ground a demerit point. It was rated "unsatisfactory".

The International Cricket Council (ICC) ruled on Tuesday that the Newlands pitch in Cape Town was not up to standard following a review of match referee Chris Broad's report. Broad was in charge of the match between India and South Africa. 

The analysis already highlighted "the concerns of captains Dean Elgar and Rohit Sharma, who both felt the pitch was below standard". India won by seven wickets in Cape Town last Thursday to level the two-match series in the shortest Test, which lasted just 107 overs.

The ICC compiled a report on the events at Newlands using information from the captains and, most importantly, the match referee's report, which stated that "the pitch at Newlands was very difficult to bat on. The ball bounced quickly and sometimes alarmingly throughout the match, making it difficult to play shots."

"Several batsmen were hit on the gloves and many wickets fell because of the awkward bounce," the report added, as quoted by AFP. In the end, Newlands received one demerit point from the ICC. 

India beat South Africa to level the series at 1-1. The match will go down. GETTY IMAGES
India beat South Africa to level the series at 1-1. The match will go down. GETTY IMAGES

Three points and the ground is declared 'unfit.' If a venue accumulates six demerit points over a five-year period, as was the case following the India-South Africa match, it faces a 12-month suspension from hosting international cricket. Cricket South Africa will now have the opportunity to appeal. 

The match will go down in history not for the sanction imposed on the Newlands Cricket Ground pitch, but for being the shortest match in history in terms of overs bowled, with just 107 overs in the four innings of a two-day match. On the first day, Wednesday, 23 wickets fell as South Africa were dismissed for 55 runs before bowling out India for 153. 

South Africa then returned to the field to resume their second innings and ended the first day on 62-3. On day two, Thursday, South Africa batted first in an attempt to mount a comeback. But they could do nothing about India's momentum. Markram scored 106 off just 103 balls, the second highest score in the team's history, with just 12 runs on the board. The Cape Town Test is now the shortest ever, surpassing the 1932 clash between Australia and South Africa.