Cricket pitch

Cricket pitch (not to scale)

In the game of cricket, the cricket pitch consists of the central strip of the cricket field between the wickets. It is 22 yards (20.12 m) long and 10 feet (3.05 m) wide. The surface is flat and normally covered with extremely short grass though this grass is soon removed by wear at the ends of the pitch.

In amateur matches in some parts of the world, artificial pitches are sometimes used. These can be a slab of concrete overlaid with a coir mat or artificial turf. sometimes dirt is put over the coir mat to provide an authentic feeling pitch. Artificial pitches are rare in professional cricket, being used only when exhibition matches are played in regions where cricket is not a common sport.

The pitch has specific markings delineating the creases, as specified by the Laws of Cricket.

The word wicket often occurs in reference to the pitch. Although technically incorrect according to the Laws of Cricket (Law 6 covers the pitch and Law 8 the wickets, distinguishing between them), cricket players, followers, and commentators persist in the usage, with context eliminating any possible ambiguity. Track is yet another synonym for pitch.

The rectangular central area of the cricket field – the space used for pitches – is known as the square. Cricket pitches are usually oriented as close to the north-south direction as practical, because the low afternoon sun would be dangerous for a batsman facing due west.[1]

Protected area

A wicket consists of three stumps that are placed into the ground and topped with two bails.

The protected area or danger area is the central portion of the pitch – a rectangle running down the middle of the pitch, two feet wide, and beginning five feet from each popping crease. Under the Laws of Cricket, a bowler must avoid running on this area during his follow-through after delivering the ball.

The pitch is protected to preserve fairness in the game; the ball normally bounces on the pitch within this region, and if it is scuffed or damaged by the bowler's footmarks it can give an unfair advantage to the bowling side. These areas can be exploited by the bowlers to change the outcome of the match. If a bowler runs on the protected area, an umpire will issue a warning to the bowler and to his team captain. The umpire issues a second and final warning if the bowler transgresses again. On the third offence, the umpire will eject the bowler from the attack and the bowler may not bowl again for the remainder of the innings.[2] The rule does not prevent the bowler or any other fielder from running on the protected area in an effort to field the ball; it applies only to the uninterrupted follow-through.

State of the pitch

A perspective view of the cricket pitch from the bowler's end. The bowler runs in past one side of the wicket at the bowler's end, either 'over' the wicket or 'round' the wicket.

A natural pitch with grass longer or more moist than usual is described as a green pitch or green seamer.[3] This favours the bowler over the batsman as the ball can be made to behave erratically on longer or wet grass. Most club and social cricket is played on pitches that professional cricketers would call green.

A sticky wicket – a pitch that has become wet and is subsequently drying out, often rapidly in hot sun – causes the ball to behave erratically, particularly for the slower or spin bowlers. However, modern pitches are generally protected from rain and dew before and during games so a sticky pitch is rarely seen in first-class cricket. The phrase, however, has retained currency and extended beyond cricket to mean any difficult situation.[4]

As a match progresses, the pitch dries out. The Laws of Cricket bar watering the pitch during a match. As it dries out, initially batting becomes easier as any moisture disappears. Over the course of a four or five-day match, however, the pitch begins to crack, then crumble and become dusty. This kind of pitch is colloquially known as a 'dust bowl' or 'minefield'. This again favours bowlers, particularly spin bowlers who can obtain large amounts of traction on the surface and make the ball spin a long way.

This change in the relative difficulties of batting and bowling as the state of the pitch changes during a match is one of the primary strategic considerations that the captain of the team that wins the coin toss will take into account when deciding which team will bat first and can accordingly finalise his decisions.

Uncovered pitches

Cricket was initially played on uncovered pitches. Uncovered pitches began to be phased out in the 1970s.[5]

Covering the pitch

Cricket pitch dimensions

The pitch is said to be covered when the groundsmen have placed covers on it to protect it against rain or dew. The use or non-use of covers significantly affects the way the ball comes off the pitch, making the matter potentially controversial. Law 11 of the Laws of Cricket provides that during the match the pitch shall not be completely covered unless provided otherwise by regulations or by agreement before the toss. When possible, the bowlers' run ups are covered in inclement weather to keep them dry. If the pitch is covered overnight, the covers are removed in the morning at the earliest possible moment on each day that play is expected to take place. If covers are used during the day as protection from inclement weather or if inclement weather delays the removal of overnight covers, they are removed as soon as conditions allow. Excess water can be removed from a pitch or the outfield using a machine called a water hog.[4]

Preparation and maintenance of the playing area

Law 9 of the Laws of Cricket sets out rules covering the preparation and maintenance of the playing area.

Rolling the pitch

During the match, the captain of the batting side may request the rolling of the pitch for a period of not more than 7 minutes before the start of each innings (other than the first innings of the match) and before the start of each subsequent day's play. In addition, if, after the toss and before the first innings of the match, the start is delayed, the captain of the batting side may request to have the pitch rolled for not more than 7 minutes, unless the umpires together agree that the delay has had no significant effect on the state of the pitch. Once the game has begun, rolling may not take place other than in these circumstances.

If there is more than one roller available, the captain of the batting side shall have the choice. Detailed rules exist to make sure that, where possible, rolling takes place without delaying the game but the game is delayed if necessary to allow the batting captain to have up to 7 minutes rolling if he so wishes. Rolling the pitch can take a long time but will be very effective once done. Rolling of the pitch is crucial to whether it is better for a batsman or a bowler.

For the 2010 County Championship season, the heavy roller was banned from use during a County Championship match. The belief was that the heavy roller was helping to make pitches flat, and therefore producing too many drawn games.[6]

Sweeping

Before a pitch is rolled it is first swept to avoid any possible damage caused by rolling in debris. The pitch is also cleared of any debris at all intervals for meals, between innings and at the beginning of each day. The only exception to this is that the umpires do not allow sweeping to take place where they consider it may be detrimental to the surface of the pitch.

Mowing

Groundsmen mow the pitch on each day of a match on which play is expected to take place. Once a game has begun, mowings take place under the supervision of the umpires.

Footholes and footholds

The umpires are required to make sure that bowlers' and batsmen's footholes are cleaned out and dried whenever necessary to facilitate play. In matches of more than one day's duration, if necessary, the footholes made by the bowler in his delivery stride may be returfed or covered with quick-setting fillings to make them safe and secure. Players may also secure their footholes using sawdust provided that the pitch is not damaged or they do not do so in a way that is unfair to the other team.

Research

England is the hub for considerable research in the preparation of cricket pitches, with Cranfield University working with the ECB and The Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG).[7]

Practising on the field

The rules do not allow players to practise bowling or batting on the pitch, or on the area parallel and immediately adjacent to the pitch, at any time on any day of the match. Practice on a day of a match on any other part of the cricket square may take place only before the start of play or after the close of play on that day and must cease 30 minutes before the scheduled start of play or if detrimental to the surface of the square.

Typically players do practise on the field of play, but not on the cricket square, during the game. Also bowlers sometimes practise run ups during the game. However, no practice or trial run-up is permitted on the field of play during play if it could result in a waste of time. The rules concerning practice on the field are covered principally by Law 26 of the Laws of Cricket.

Typical pitches

Pitches in different parts of the world have different characteristics. The nature of the pitch plays an important role in the actual game: it may have a significant influence on team selection and other aspects. A spin bowler may be preferred in the Indian subcontinent where the dry pitches assist spinners (especially towards the end of a five-day test match) whereas an all pace attack may be used in places like Australia where the pitches are bouncy.

Pitches in England and Wales

Green, swing promoting and humid conditions sums up the construction of English pitches with a lot depending on the weather. Early in the season, most batsmen have to be on their guard as English pitches prove to be most fickle, like the country's weather. Later in the summer, the pitches tend to get harder and lose their green which makes the task easier for batsmen. Spinners prove less effective in the first half of the season and tend to play their part only in the second half. The dry and hot conditions and little dust makes the grounds ideal place to practise reverse swing with a 50-over old ball.

Pitches in Australia

Pitches in Australia have traditionally been known to be good for fast bowlers because of the amount of bounce that can be generated on these surfaces. In particular, the pitch at the WACA Ground in Perth is regarded as being possibly the quickest pitch in the world. The Gabba in Brisbane is also known to assist fast bowlers with its bounce. However, these kinds of bouncy pitches also open up more areas for run-scoring, as they promote the playing of a lot of pull, hook and cut shots. Batsmen who play these shots will have a lot of success on these pitches.

Other stadiums like Adelaide Oval and Sydney Cricket Ground have been known to assist spinners more as these pitches have more dust cover. This makes the stadiums an attractive ground for batsmen; teams on an average have scores of 300 or above in their first innings. The Melbourne Cricket Ground can assist seam bowlers initially, but it has a tennis-ball bounce which can negate the potency of bowlers once a match progresses.

Swing bowling can be a weapon in Australia, but unlike England, it depends upon the overhead conditions, similar to the Indian subcontinent.

Pitches in India

Pitches in India have historically supported spin bowling rather than seam or swing. A ball bowled at pace may not carry well to the keeper taking slip catches out of the equation. Such pitches had virtually no grass, afforded little assistance for pace, bounce, or lateral air movement, but created good turn. In decades past, legendary spin bowlers – most notably the Indian spin quartet of the 1960s and 1970s, consisting of left-armer Bedi, offspinners Prasanna and Venkataraghavan, and legspinner Chandrasekhar – routinely toyed with visiting teams to plot dramatic victories for India in home test matches, particularly on turning pitches in hot, humid conditions at Eden Gardens in Kolkata (then known as Calcutta) and Chepauk in Chennai (then known as Madras).

They outwitted opposing batsmen not only through line, length, and trajectory variations but also by physically and psychologically exploiting rough spots resulting from wear and tear on the playing top and cracks from increasing surface dryness as a game progressed. The Indian batsmen, being accustomed to these pitch styles, generally relished home conditions. While the Brabourne and Wankhede stadiums in Mumbai and Ferozshah Kotla in Delhi never offered nearly as much turn to spinners.

Indian pitches and attitudes have changed considerably in the past few years though. The induction of several newer 'green top' venues (such as the ones at Mohali and at Dharamshala), the emergence of Indian fast bowlers, plus the development of domestic league cricket with international participants in the form of IPL, Ranji Trophy, ICL, have resulted in a greater variety of pitches. Some contemporary pitches provide good support for pace, bounce, and swing. Surfaces are often tailor made to be flat tops or excessively batsmen-friendly, for the sake of maximising entertainment value, at the expense of all types of bowlers. But at time the reverse is true especially in the IPL wherein pace heavy teams often come-up with green pace friendly pitches to maximise chances of victory.

Pitches in South Africa

Pitches resemble those in Australia with added swing (lateral) movement and comparatively lesser bounce. However, genuine fast bowlers who can hit the deck hard and hope for some seam as well do the most damage. Spinners gain little assistance, as in New Zealand, and have to toil hard.

Pitches in New Zealand

Pitches in New Zealand, like the ones at Eden Park, Auckland and Basin Reserve, Wellington can have a green tinge similar to their counterparts in England. The ball swings a lot due to the proximity of most grounds to the sea, relative humidity and moisture under the surface. New Zealand pitches are often bouncy and quick in nature due to the usual grass cover left on them. The grass cover offers seam movement early on, but also maintains the integrity of the pitch which can often dampen the effect of spin bowling but allows pitches to flatten out over the course of a match. Batting can be trying early on and batsman often take time to adjust to the conditions.

Pitches in the West Indies

The West Indies tends to produce balanced pitches. Neither is the bounce too disconcerting nor is the movement extravagant. It also does not assist spin like subcontinent pitches and hence for quality batsman they could be batting paradises. However, bowlers who are willing to bend their backs find some assistance from these pitches. Pitches here have earned a reputation of helping the quicks somewhat mainly because of the era gone by when West Indies used to have some of the fastest bowlers in cricket and hence the pitches appeared to be faster than they are. Tall bowlers like Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner, Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, Ian Bishop, Colin Croft, Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh produced bounce and speed even on the most docile pitches. However, some of the best batsmen have arisen from the Caribbean too, like Viv Richards, Gary Sobers, Desmond Haynes, George Headley, Clive Lloyd, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Rohan Kanhai, Chris Gayle and Brian Lara. Spinners also have something in the pitches as they tend to deteriorate by day four, offering a little dust and cracks for them to exploit. But due to insufficient support to spin in the Caribbean pitches, West Indies has not produced many all-time great spinners with the exception of Lance Gibbs.

Pitches in Pakistan

Pitches in Pakistan have historically supported spin bowling rather than seam or swing. However, the conditions in most grounds of Pakistan, like Rawalpindi, Lahore and Peshawar have also seen support for the reverse swing capabilities of bowlers in past times. The dry and windy conditions usually lend good support to the faster bowlers as well. Such pitches had virtually no grass, afforded little assistance for pace, bounce, or lateral air movement, but created good turn. In decades past spinners toyed with visiting teams to plot dramatic victories for Pakistan in home test matches, particularly on turning pitches in hot, humid conditions at Arbab Niaz Stadium and Gaddafi Stadium. Pitches in Pakistan are flat and considered favourable for batsmen in winter; they suit spinners in summers.

Pitches in Bangladesh

The Bangladeshi wickets receive a lot of rain fall in little time which reflects the soggy nature. The conditions vary from grounds like Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium and Chittagong Divisional Stadium. The basic idea of producing wickets in Bangladesh is to avoid using grassroots when they are building up the layers of soil. The roots hold the water and retain moisture for an extended period. It helps bind the wicket better, making it a harder surface eventually. It also slows the process of wearing down.[8]

Pitches in Sri Lanka

Pitches are generally dusty and shorn off grass; the rain here also makes for a "sticky wicket". Wickets are generally flat and don't offer much bounce – however, the pitch at Asgiriya Stadium, Kandy offers generous bounce and favours fast bowling.[9] Bowlers get help under the lights. Spin is the key in these conditions, and spinners have fine records on the pitches in Sri Lanka. The heat requires an extreme level of fitness, while sweaty clothing makes it difficult to shine the ball. Reverse swing, off-spin, leg-spin are all effective tools in such conditions.

Pitches in Zimbabwe

Pitches in Zimbabwe closely resemble those in South Africa with the main difference being in the nature of the bounce. The pitches in South Africa provide fast bounce while the pitches in Zimbabwe tend to have a spongy, tennis ball type of bounce, which makes hitting on the up a risky proposition. Most pitches have slower bounce, hence batting is more favourable in Zimbabwe.

Conditions at the Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo tend to aid batsmen, with spin coming into the game in a big way in the latter stages. The pitch has some grass, though not green enough to leave batsmen anxious. With the temperature touching 28 degrees, the strip is expected to dry out quickly and flatten into a batting beauty. The seamers' best chance will be with the new ball, and both teams feel keen to make first use of the pitch.[10]

Pitches in UAE

The UAE features spin-friendly pitches. New ball helps the bowlers and bowlers eye reverse swing and spin with the older ball. UAE conditions differ significantly from those of Pakistan due to the Gulf's sandy soils. Grounds are not that hard. Dubai Cricket Stadium offers some grass and bounce though dry conditions tend to result in the fourth and fifth days of a Test match being spin friendly. Sheikh Zayed Stadium is batting-friendly, and the cracks come very late into play.

The guidelines for rating a pitch 'dangerous' or 'unfit'

Here is how the International Cricket Council rates pitches and deems them unfit to play on, effective January 2018. There are certain conditions that the ICC has laid out in order for a pitch to meet their requirements. They are:[11]

  • The objective of a Test pitch shall be to allow all the individual skills of the game to be demonstrated by the players at various stages of the match. If anything, the balance of the contest between bat and ball in a Test match should slightly favour the bowling team.
  • A pitch should be expected to deteriorate as the match progresses, and as a consequence, the bounce could become more inconsistent, and the ball could deviate more (seam and spin) off the wearing surface.

The pitches can be rated:

Very Good: (if there is) Good carry, limited seam movement and consistent good bounce early in the match and as the pitch wears as the match progresses, with an acceptable amount of turn on the first two days but natural wear sufficient to be responsive to spin later in the game

Good: (if there is) Average carry, moderate seam movement and consistent bounce both early in the match and as the pitch wears as the match progresses, natural wear sufficient to be responsive to spin from day 1, though not quite meeting the criteria for carry and bounce for a "very good" pitch.

Average: (If it) Lacks carry, and/or bounce and/or occasional seam movement, but consistent in carry and bounce. A degree of turn, but with average bounce for the spinner. Falling significantly short of "very good" with respect to carry, bounce and turn.

Below Average: (If there is) Either very little carry and/or bounce and/or more than occasional seam movement, or occasional variable (but not excessive or dangerous) bounce and/or occasional variable carry. If a pitch demonstrates these features, then the pitch cannot be rated in a higher category regardless of the amount of turn the pitch displays at any stage of the match.

Poor: A Poor pitch is one that does not allow an even contest between bat and ball, either by favouring the batters too much, and not giving the bowlers (seam and spin) from either team sufficient opportunity to take wickets, or by favouring the bowlers too much (seam or spin), and not giving the batters from either team the opportunity to make runs. If any of the following criteria apply, a pitch may be rated "poor":

  • The pitch offers excessive seam movement at any stage of the match.
  • The pitch displays excessive unevenness of bounce for any bowler at any stage of the match.
  • The pitch offers excessive assistance to spin bowlers, especially early in the match.
  • The pitch displays little or no seam movement or turn at any stage in the match together with no significant bounce or carry, thereby depriving the bowlers of a fair contest between bat and ball.
  • The pitch offers excessive assistance to spin bowlers, especially early in the match.

Unfit: A pitch may be rated 'unfit' if it is dangerous.

  • It is recognised that a limited amount of seam movement is acceptable early in the match and that a pitch may develop some unevenness of bounce for seam bowlers as the match progresses. This is acceptable, but should not develop to a point where they would be described as "excessive".
  • It is acceptable for a pitch to offer some degree of turn on the first day of a match, particularly in the sub-continent, though anything more than occasional unevenness of bounce at this stage of the match is not acceptable. It is to be expected that a pitch will turn steadily more as a match progresses, and it is recognised that a greater degree of unevenness of bounce may develop.
  • It is impossible to quantify the amount that a ball is "allowed" to turn as bowlers will turn the ball differing amounts. The type and identity of bowler shall be taken into account when assessing this factor.
  • In no circumstances should the pitch 'explode'.

Dangerous Pitch (Changing the pitch)

  • If the On-field umpires decide that It is dangerous or unreasonable for play to continue on the match pitch, they shall stop the play immediately & advice the ICC match referee.
  • The On-field umpires and the ICC match referee then consult with both the captains.
  • If the captains agree to continue, play shall resume.
  • If the decision is no to resume play, the On-field umpires together with the ICC match referee shall consider whether the existing pitch can be repaired and the match resumed from the point it was stopped.
  • If the decision is that it can’t be repaired, then the match is to be abandoned as a draw.

Drop-in pitches

A drop-in pitch is a pitch that is prepared away from the ground or venue in which it is used, and "dropped" into place for a match to take place. This allows multi-purpose venues to host other sports and events with more versatility than a dedicated cricket ground would allow.[12]

They were first developed by WACA curator John Maley for use in the World Series Cricket matches, set up in the 1970s by Australian businessman Kerry Packer. Drop-in pitches became necessary for the World Series as they had to play in dual purpose venues operating outside of the cricket establishment.[13] Along with other revolutions during the series including the white ball, floodlights, helmets, and coloured clothing, drop-in pitches were designed to also make games more interesting. They would start off bowler friendly seaming and spinning with uneven bounce for the first two days of a game. After that they became extremely easy for batting meaning high targets were chaseable on the fourth and fifth days, although there would still be something in the pitch for the bowlers.

In 2005, the Brisbane Cricket Ground (the "Gabba") rejected the use of a drop-in pitch, despite requests from the ground's other users, the Brisbane Lions AFL team. Although drop-in pitches are regularly used in the Melbourne Cricket Ground and in New Zealand, Queensland Cricket stated that Brisbane's weather and the difference in performance meant they preferred to prepare the ground in the traditional way.[14]

Plans to use drop-in pitches in baseball parks in the United States have met with problems due to strict rules about transporting soil over state lines. It has been found that the best soil types for drop-in pitches are not located in the same states which have been targeted by cricketing authorities – New York, California and Florida.[15]

The word pitch also refers to the bouncing of the ball, usually on the pitch. In this context, the ball is said to pitch before it reaches the batsman. Where the ball pitches can be qualified as pitched short (bouncing nearer the bowler), pitched up (nearer the batsman), or pitched on a length (somewhere in between).

Unlike in baseball, the word pitch does not refer to the act of propelling the ball towards the batsman in cricket. Cricket fans usually refer to this action as a ball or as a delivery. (Also, the word ball does not imply anything about the accuracy of the delivery. In baseball, by contrast, a ball is a pitch that both fails to enter the strike zone and is not swung at by the batter.)

References

  1. "Orientation of outdoor playing areas". Government of Western Australia, Department of Sport and Recreation. 7 August 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
  2. "Law 41 – Unfair play". Retrieved 1 October 2017.
  3. Barrett, Chris (8 December 2015). "Hobart pitch first look reveals green seamer for Australia v West Indies test".
  4. 1 2 "A List of Technical Cricket Terms". Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  5. "Cricket's Turning Points: Covered pitches | Highlights". Cricinfo Magazine. ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  6. "Heavy rollers banned in English county". Retrieved 8 January 2015.
  7. "Guidelines for Rolling in Cricket". Cranfield's Centre for Sports Surface Technology / England and Wales Cricket Board. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
  8. "Teams try to adapt strategies to low, slow track" ESPN. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  9. "Ranasinghe Premadasa Stadium Colombo, Cricket, Features of Ranasinghe Premadasa Stadium Colombo, History of Ranasinghe Premadasa Stadium Colombo, Popularity of Ranasinghe Premadasa Stadium Colombo, Tournaments". Livescore.warofcricket.com. Archived from the original on 10 March 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  10. "Zimbabwe v Pakistan, only Test, Bulawayo: Another baby step into the wild for Zimbabwe". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
  11. "The guidelines for rating a pitch 'dangerous' or 'unfit'". Cricbuzz. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  12. Gollapudi, Nagraj: "Pitch drops in at Darwin", CricInfo Australia, July 17, 2003.
  13. Pringle, Derek: "Packer's gamble left lasting legacy", The Daily Telegraph, December 28, 2005.
  14. "Queensland reject drop-in pitch for Gabba", CricInfo Australia, August 22, 2005.
  15. "Stillborn in the USA", Cricinfo Australia, January 23, 2007
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.