The ICC has received a copy of the match referee's report on the Kanpur pitch and is now waiting for a response from the Indian board on the same. But the BCCI played down the issue of what Mickey Arthur, the South African coach, called a "poor cricket wicket".

"It's a normal process where the match referee submits a pitch report to the ICC at the end of the match, a copy of which is also given to the board," said Ratnakar Shetty, the board's chief administrative officer.

South Africa beat India by an innings and 90 runs in Ahmedabad on a bouncy track but lost the Kanpur Test by eight wickets after their batting line-up crumbled on an under-prepared surface. Both matches ended in three days.

"This is not the first time that a match ended in three days," Shetty said. "Definitely there were suggestions for some corrective measures but I don't think it was a notice to the BCCI."

Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, said a letter had been sent to the BCCI seeking an explanation on the pitch.