On match days during the pitch report, we see cricket commentators
analyzing the pitch based on different factors and give their opinion on what
type of pitch it is and what should the team winning the toss should do. We do
not see them analyzing the size of the ground or other factors much as the
result of the match is majorly decided by the characteristics of the pitch on
which it is played on. This shows the importance of the pitch among all the
playing conditions. Let’s try to understand more about this important playing
condition – the cricket pitch.
Source: Cricket Taiwan
Pitch Measurements:
Let’s start with the dimensions of the cricket pitch. A cricket
pitch is a rectangular area in the ground which is of 22 yards (20.12 meters)
in length stump-to-stump and 10 feet (3.05 meters) in width as shown in the
picture below. A crease in line with the stumps is drawn on either side of the
pitch, called bowling crease.
Another crease called popping crease is drawn on each end of
the pitch in front of each set of stumps parallel to the bowling crease. This
popping crease is 4 feet (1.2 meters) in front of the stumps. The size and
measurements of a cricket ground varies from ground to ground but, the size of
the pitch and its measurements remain the same everywhere, as these have to
follow the MCC laws of cricket.
Source: Wikipedia
Protected (Danger) Area:
The central portion of the cricket pitch is called protected
area or danger area. It is a rectangular portion which starts five feet in
front of each popping crease and it is of width 2 feet. As per MCC rules, no
player is allowed to run on this area of the pitch. This area is protected
because the ball bounces the most in this area during the match. Any damage to
this area of the pitch will give more advantage to bowlers relatively over
batsman.
In case a bowler runs on this danger area more than twice
(will be warned by the umpire the first two times), the bowler is removed from
the spell and will not be allowed to bowl again for the rest of the innings. On
the other hand, there is an exception to this rule – the bowler or any other
fielder from the fielding side can run on this protected area in an effort to
field the ball.
Source: Quora
In case a batsman runs on this danger area more than two
times (will be warned by the umpire the first two times), five penalty runs are awarded to the opposition team. For more
details on this, please refer to the Article 41.14.3 of the ICC
Unfair Play Rules.
Types of Pitches:
There could be many types of cricket pitches, but they can
be mainly categorized into three types – Green, Dusty and Dead pitches. Let’s
take a look at each of these types briefly:
Green Pitches – In
these types of pitches, the pitch is mostly covered with grass. These pitches
assist pace bowlers, providing ample swing and seam movement (How? Well, we
will cover it in another blog!). Batsmen will find it difficult facing swing
bowlers, as batsmen will have short time to judge the movement of the ball. Few
batsmen with great skill and ability can score runs on these pitches.
Generally, teams will pick one main spinner or no spinner at
all if the pitch is a green one, as there will not be much help for spinners on
these types of tracks. These green top pitches are generally made for test
matches.
Dusty Pitches – These types of pitches are generally dry and can
develop cracks easily. The surface of the dusty pitch is soft and is unrolled. This
creates favorable conditions for the spin bowlers as they can extract both spin
and bounce from these. Mostly, pitches in sub-continent fall into this category.
Teams generally pick more spinners compared to pacers if the
pitch is dusty, as these are not pacer friendly. The Test match between
Afghanistan and Bangladesh (in September 2019) is one such classic example
where only one pacer was picked both the teams combined.
Dead Pitches – These
types of pitches are also called flat pitches. They have no grass cover and
hence no hint of moisture in the pitch. Also, these pitches are rolled
completely. Because of these factors, these pitches don’t offer any help to either
pacers or spinners and are used in T20 cricket matches and some one-day matches.
These pitches favor the batsmen for the whole game and hence are spectator
friendly.
These days, these pitches are generally used in all the
One-day and T20 matches held across the world to make the matches high scoring.
Drop-in Pitches:
A drop-in pitch is a pitch that is prepared elsewhere
away from the venue, and "dropped" into place for a match to take
place. This facility allows the ground or the venue to be used for multiple
sporting events. These were first developed for use in the World Series Cricket matches.
Selection of the pitch for the match
The Ground authority shall be
responsible for the selection and preparation of the pitch. However, the
umpires shall control the use and maintenance of the pitch.
Once the pitch is selected, the ICC rules do
not allow players to practice bowling or batting on the pitch, or on the area
parallel and immediately adjacent area 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.
Maintenance of the pitch
As the pitch deteriorates
throughout a match, this can also have considerable influence on the success
(or lack) of a team's bowling or batting efforts.
Pitches in different parts of the
world have different characteristics. But, these should be maintained as per
the MCC laws. The maintenance of the pitch is governed by Law 9 of MCC, as part
of which rolling, mowing, clearance of debris from the pitch, maintenance of
foot-holes, watering the pitch (not on match days) is done to maintain the
pitch for allowing fair play in the match between both the teams. We will cover
about these more in another blog.
Pitch Condition and Safety:
The pitch shall not be changed
during the match unless it is decided by the umpires, if the surface is dangerous or unreasonable for play, and also only with the consent of both
captains.
Certain conditions, as set out by
the ICC, must be met to ensure that a pitch is
fit and safe to play on. If the pitch is found to favor one side, or if it is
found to be dangerous, the match may, after agreement between the captains and
the match officials (umpires), be abandoned completely or possibly be rescheduled.
Conclusion:
By now, you must have understood
the importance ICC and the teams give to pitches on which the match is played
on. As 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. On the
other hand, we feel pitches should not be tailored in favor of home teams or
else one would only get to see one-sided boring encounters which is a danger to
the sport itself.
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