ICC Aims To Create Standardize Pitches At All Venues.......

ICC aims to standardise pitches

May 11, 2006

Soon there might not be a need to inspect the pitch for the players will know what they're going to get.....

The ICC has laid out criteria for what an ideal Test match pitch should offer during a match in terms of bounce, carry, seam movement and turn and has put in place a process by which an erring Test centre would be penalised.

According to the ICC's parameters, the perfect pitch for Test cricket should have "good carry, limited seam movement and consistent bounce throughout, little or no turn on the first two days but natural wear sufficient to be responsive to spin later in the game."

Test pitches around the world would be categorised under the range "unfit" to "very good" and to this effect the ICC has adopted the first formal pitch-monitoring process, according to the ICC quarterly newsletter. If Test pitches are found to be "unfit" or poor", there will be sanctions ranging from "a formal warning to a fine for the home board or even suspension of international status for a venue that produces a substandard pitch."

Dave Richardson, ICC's general manager - cricket, said that the new policy was a necessary step towards ensuring good quality pitches. "In an ideal world all venues would produce excellent pitches that provided a fair balance between bat and ball."

© PTI

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What effect if any will this have upon the game of cricket ? If these aspects of creating standard pitches for ODI's and Tests are implemented, would it virtually eliminate any advantages for the home side and produce level playing field ? will this create more of a balance and produce more exciting cricket ?

And also looks like some kind of code system will be applied to the pitches i.e. Green - Flat track, lots of masala runs, excite the fans and pump them full of sugar yahhhhhh!; Yellow - Substandard Track, something for everyone, but will be turned soon into a flat track so that lots of sixes be seen by our resident chota Afridi who comes out and scuffs up the pitch; Red - Bad pitch, batsmen will hate it because of too much bounce and seam movement, causing them to play an unbeastly innings and the test match could actually have a result !! (Feel free to add more levels like the Terror Alert System )

one jam after another...

Are you in favour or not in favour of these Waqaristic jams

its the difference in test pitches that makes touring different countries the experience it is

its supposed to turn at mumbai from the first over, its supposed to swing at Headingly regardless, its supposed to bounce and bounce more at Perth

Of course it looks like all the advantages will be taken away in cause of creating pitches that behave exactly the same way everywhere.....

Thankfully, I get the feeling that the ICC will not really succeed in pulling this off.

icc thinks this is baseball. this a international sport which is played between countries. Not some commercial game that is meant to descrate the competitive aspect of each country. If they want to improve the game start by allowing bouncers. then start by decreasing the schedule of test matches. So the competition means something instead of regular season game. This my friends is the beginning of the end of national cricket. Whats next have countries be able to trade players. Its stupid these corporate hawks no nothing about cricket all the see is the money.

not a right step in the right direction
it will be bad for the marketing for the game if you take of that mystery that beholds about pitch for every cricket fan a night before the test is about to begin

if you take that away the excitement of the fgame is bound to suffer

The ICC really has lost it. Leave it the way it is you freaks

I only have a problem with pitches of the Lahore variety....though this proposal is bordering on lunacy. The ICC are coming up with one rubbish idea after another.

Lahore usually has reasonable pitches for Test cricket. That India test aside they've generally been fine and have seen results for about a decade

the ICC has completely lost it. although i dont know how exactly will the ICC manage to pull this off, it will make test cricket more boring and monotonous. different conditions in different places is what makes circket so interesting. and what the hell will happen to home advantage now. australia were the best coz they beat teams in their own dens in their home conditions. now no one will be able to claim that. ICC bullshits again