Different Pitch Conditions

DIFFERENT PITCH CONDITIONS

 Cricket pitch is a 22 yards strip of dimension 20.12 m by 3.05 m that lies in the center of the field between the wickets. Cricket pitches play a very important role in result of the matches. Pitches have direct impact on the match and that is why the toss of a match becomes so important. Teams before toss analyse the pitch and takes their decision on if they are going to bat or field first depending on the current pitch condition. The nature or condition of pitch keeps changing slightly in the entire match. So a captain must have a complete understanding of different pitch conditions. Now lets understand the different pitch conditions.

Flat Pitches : Flat pitches bring challenges for bowlers and especially for fast bowlers as they get no help from the pitch. Flat pitches prove to be boon for the batsman because it becomes very easy for batsmen to score on flat pitches as there is no movement or swing for bowlers.

 Such pitches are also called dead pitches and there are no moisture at all. Matches on dead pitches are usually high scoring matches and these pitches are generally used for shorter format of cricket. This type of pitch is not used in test cricket as it drains bowlers both mentally and physically.

Dusty Pitches : Pitches that are soft and have no grass cover at all are said to be dusty pitches. Such pitches are less rolled because of which presence of dust can be seen on the pitch. These allow the ball to grip the pitch and show some deviation. 

Dusty Pitch

These pitches are best suited for spinners. Due to dust there is less bounce on the pitch. This pitch becomes quite predictable for the batsmen once they have spent some time on it. India too has this type of pitch and this is the reason Indian are considered as best players of spinners.

Green or Grassy Pitches : These pitches have grass cover on them. These are best suited for pace bowlers as they get swing and bounce from them. Batsmen are checked and tested at every ball, sometimes with swing and sometimes with bouncers. Batsmen at these pitches prefer to play late to counter the swing. Green pitches are like dream surfaces for the fast bowlers. This pitches don't support spin bowlers either as the ball gets no grip at all due to grass. 

Green Pitches

These types of pitches are generally found in England, Australia and South Africa which becomes the reason behind players not being able to play spin with the same merit with which they play fast balls. Green wickets are generally used for test matches where we get to see lots of swing, seam and bounce on the pitch. This is the reason why batsmen who score and perform well in test matches are considered to be technically sound.

Hard Pitches : Hard pitches are those which are heavily rolled and have no grass on them. These pitches have cracks on them and these cracks can be dangerous for batsmen as these cracks provide some movement and bounce to bowlers. In terms of swing and bounce, these pitches evenly favor bowlers and batsmen. Batsmen can play on the merit of the merit of ball.

Hard Pitches

Dead Pitches

Damp pitch : A pitch that is or gets wet and becomes sticky is called damp pitch.

Such pitches are like curse to the batsman and becomes a battlefield where they always have the upper hand.

These pitches prove to be devastating for the batsman and spinners can make the ball turn whenever they want and in the direction of their chosen. A normal good length ball becomes lethal delivery for the batsman and it becomes very difficult for the batsmen to survive longer on the pitch.

Batsmen who can bat on those wickets are very rare and are counted among great players.