Types of Cricket Pitches

The surface or area between the 2 wickets is known as a pitch. It plays a crucial role in the sport as several things are depending on the pitch. Both bowling & batting aspects are affected by the pitch. Different countries have different types of pitches. The country makes pitches according to their teams’ strength.

The length of a pitch is 22 yards which is 20m approx. It is also 3m wide. The bowler is bound to bowl on the pitch so that the batsman can play. Batting, bowling, and running take place on the pitch and all these 3 aspects are directly or indirectly dependent on the pitch.

6 Types of Cricket Pitch

Flat Pitches

 This type of pitch offers everything to the batsman, the ball comes to bat nicely and a lot of high run chases have been done successfully on these types of pitches. Most subcontinent countries like Pakistan offers this kind of pitch. Now most countries are making flat wickets to get entertained. This type of pitch is most demanding in the T20 format. There are no cracks and no bounce on these types of pitches.  For bowlers – they can do nothing but just wait for the batsman to make a mistake, for batsman- any batsman can score runs if he gets set.

Green Pitch

This type of pitch is always covered with grass. There is always movement present in this type of pitch. Fast or swing bowlers get the most advantage out of these kinds of pitches. Bounce and seam movement are the main features of these kinds of pitches. Playing the initial spell with the new ball is a big challenge on this pitch. These types of pitches are found mostly in England & New Zealand. James Anderson, Stuart Broad, and Tim Southee are one of the most dangerous and successful bowlers on a green pitch whereas Joe Root and Jacques Kallis are the very good batsman on the green pitch.

Dusty Pitch

These types of pitches are generally softer as compared to green and flat pitches. Being softer, these pitches offer less pace and bounce. These pitches are left unrolled and that’s why there is a powdery covering on the pitch. These types of pitches also provide some variable bounce and some of the balls may stay low. These types of pitches are preferable for spinners as it offers more turn. These pitches are mostly found in the subcontinent, especially Sri Lanka and India. Spinners like Ravi Ashwin and Muttiah Muralitharan have been successful on these types of pitches whereas batsmen like Virendra Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar are excellent players on these types of pitches.

Dead Pitch

The dead pitches are pitches that have no moisture or grass and are flat. There is no help for the bowlers as the pitch doesn’t support spinners or pacers. The pitch favors the batsman. There are dark patches found on the dead pitches. Mostly, these types of pitches are found in the subcontinent and are often used in limited overmatches. However, these types of pitches are not suitable for the test format because it is very difficult for the bowlers to take wickets on such types of pitches and a lot of runs are scored.

Wet Pitch

A wet pitch is generally a normal pitch that gets wet and sticky due to excess moisture or failure of the covers. These wet pitches are very difficult to bat on. The spinner gets a turn as well as the ball skids and stays low on the wicket. The pacers get extra pace due to the stickiness of the wicket as it skids too much. However, the ball comes unevenly to the bat and the bounce is not predictable. It’s very difficult to bat on these wickets and maximum batsmen get bowled or LBW on these types of pitches. These pitches are entirely bowler-favorable. Mostly Ireland and England have wet pitches.

Dry Pitch

By the name only it is understandable that the pitch is dry and lacks moisture. These pitches are mostly likely to have cracks between them. These cracks help the fast bowlers to put on a good show. However, batsmen can still score runs if the ball doesn’t hit the crack and change its movement. These types of pitches are mostly found in South Africa and Australia. Bowlers like Brett Lee, Mitchell Johnson, and Dale Steyn were deadly on these types of pitches.

Cricket Pitch Details and Dimensions

The length of a pitch should be a minimum of 22.5 meters while the width of the pitch should a minimum of 3.5 meters. The distance between the stumps of each side is of 20meters or 22 yards. There are 3 stumps placed on the pitch and the total distance covered by the stumps should of 9inches.

3 important elements of cricket pitch: –

1. Bowling crease – the bowling crease from the middle stump to the offside is 1.2 m and the same for the middle stump to the leg side. Marked on both sides of the pitch. Distance between one bowling crease to another is 20m or 22 yards

2. Popping Crease – also known as batting crease. It is drawn parallel to the bowling crease at the same distance of 1.2m. The distance of a popping crease should be 45ft towards the leg side and 45ft towards the offside which is 90ft in total as prescribed by the ICC.

3. Return Crease – The distance of the return crease from the middle stump is 4ft 4inch on both legs and off side. It is mainly used to check the backfoot no ball of the bowler.

The wide line is marked 35 inches from the middle stump on each side. There are another pair of lines marked on a 1ft distance from the middle stump to show the danger zone.

How to Read a Cricket Pitch?

1. To check the presence of moisture.

2. Presence of grass on the pitch

3. How hard is the pitch?

4. Presence of cracks and footmarks on the pitch.

5. Did it rain the previous night and how is the weather on the day of the match?

6. Condition of the outfield

7. Past performance of the pitch.

How Pitch is Prepared?

Preparation of the pitch requires lots of skill, time, and effort.

• The pitch square is dug about 3 feet.
• After the loose earth is taken out, then the square is watered and rolled with a heavy roller to make the base strong.
• Ballast Stones are then spread and the earth is spread over and rolled again to level up the surface.
• Two layers of bricks are then laid one pointing in one direction and the second in the other direction.
• Fine sand is used to fill the gaps between the bricks.
• Soil mixture (depending on the type of soil whether red or black) is spread over the surface and then watered
• Another soil mixture (manure, red soil, black soil, moored)
• Wet grass on the pitch then another layer of soil mixture.
• After 1-day the pitch is watered twice a day under the sunlight and daily watering and rolling of the pitch is done.

Which Pitch is Good for Fast Bowlers?

Green Pitch is the best suited for fast bowlers as it gives much more bounce and speed to the ball as compared to the other pitches. It also helps in the movement of the ball.

Which Pitch is good for Spinners?

Dusty and wet pitches are good for spinners as there is no grass covering and thus the pitch will help the ball to turn and will stay low and uneven which will increase the wicket-taking chances of the spinners.