In this edition of “How’s That” we will be looking at another important component of the game, the Pitch.
Area of pitch
The pitch is a rectangular area of the ground 22 yards/20.12 m in length and 10 ft/3.05 m in width. It is bounded at either end by the bowling creases and on either side by imaginary lines, one each side of the imaginary line joining the centres of the two middle stumps, each parallel to it and 5 ft/1.52 m from it. If the pitch is next to an artificial pitch which is closer than 5 ft/1.52 m from the middle stumps, the pitch on that side will extend only to the junction of the two surfaces.
Fitness of pitch for play
The umpires shall be the sole judges of the fitness of the pitch for play. See Laws 2.7 (Fitness for play) and 2.8 (Suspension of play in dangerous or unreasonable conditions)
Selection and preparation
Before the match, the Ground Authority shall be responsible for the selection and preparation of the pitch. Once the toss has been made, however, the umpires must control its use and maintenance. It must be noted that even though this responsibility does not pass to the umpires until the toss, they should still inspect the pitch well before the match is to start, to check both that it meets all the requirements of the law and that it is fit for play. The ground staff will still carry out the mechanical tasks of mowing and rolling, but the umpires are to supervise, to make sure that this is done within the laws of the game.
Changing the pitch
The pitch shall not be changed during the match unless the umpires decide that it is dangerous or unreasonable for play to continue on it and then only with the consent of both captains. If either captains decide that they do not wish to use another pitch, this would not be considered a refusal to play. The options then would be either that the match is abandoned or that it is decided to wait in the hope that conditions will improve sufficiently for play to restart on the original pitch.
Non-turf pitches
In the event of a non-turf pitch being used, the artificial surface shall conform to the following measurements: Length – a minimum of 58 ft/17.68 m Width – a minimum of 6 ft/1.83 m See Law 9.8 (Non-turf pitches).
Source: Tom Smith’s Cricket Umpiring and Scoring (Law 6)
Interested in learning more about the Laws of Cricket? Please feel free to join the North Zone Cricket Umpires and Scorers Association of Trinidad and Tobago. Training classes utilize a combination of PowerPoint presentations, verbal discussions, quizzes, and on-field demonstrations when the laws of cricket are being taught. Training classes are free of charge and persons male or female and of any age are welcome to join. For more information please contact (868)752-3572
