Pitch (cricket)

Pitch (cricket)

A cricket pitch is the central strip of the playing area between the stumps. The pitch is always 22 yards long and 10 feet wide, the surface is very flat and normally covered with extremely short grass though this grass is soon removed by wear at the ends of the pitch. Should the grass be longer than usual the pitch may be called a green'n and then favours the bowler over the batsman as the ball can be made to behave erratically on longer or wet grass. Most club and social cricket is played on pitches that professional cricketers would call green. Artificial pitches are also used but not often in professional cricket.

The pitch has very specific markings deliniating the creasess.

A sticky wicket is a pitch that has become wet which again causes the ball to behave erratically, particularly for the slower or spin bowlers. However, wickets are now generally protected from rain and dew preceding and during games so that a sticky wicket is rarely seen in first class cricket. This phrase has extended beyond cricket to mean any difficult situation and seems to be fascinating to Americans.

The word wicket is often used to describe the pitch but this is technically incorrect, law 7 covers the pitch and law 8 the wickets, distinguishing betwen them.

Note: unlike baseball the word pitch is not used to mean a delivery of the ball, this is usually referred to as a ball with no implication as to its accuracy. However, a ball is sometimes said to be pitched up (long) or pitched short or pitched on a length.

If you are a soil scientist you can help improve the quality of cricket pitches.