The most important and the sacred piece of turf on the cricket ground is the pitch. It is here that all the action is initiated. No sooner a team arrived at the ground, they first visit the pitch.

The captain of the batting side dictates the kind of roller to be used on the pitch - light, medium or heavy. However, no rolling is permitted at the start of the match, unless the game is delayed after the toss, if the umpires feel that the pitch has been affected. Any such Rolling can take place within half an hour of the scheduled start of play on subsequent days or at the start of an innings.
 

The ground authorities have to specify the number of rollers available with their weightage measured in Tons; i.e. 1/2 a ton, one ton, etc. During the Test Match played at Mumbai's Brabourne stadium in the 1959-60 season, Richie Benaud, the Australian skipper, asked for the Engine Roller (11/2 tons) at the start of the third day's play. But the Engine Roller had conked off. He was requested to use the roller nearest to the Engine Roller in terms of heaviness, but Richie did not budge. He said that he would not mind even if 50 men were required to push the Engine Roller. It was quite a funny sight, so many people pushing the huge roller up and down! Yours truly was a witness to it.

At Brisbane in the Ashes series of 1950-51, the English captain, Freddie Brown witnessed the rolling personally along with the officials. The reason - The heavy roller was drawn by two horses on either side of the pitch! On reaching one end, the horses were unbuckled, the plough reversed, again buckled and so on. Although the total time taken for this elaborate exercise was 22 minutes, the actual time of rolling was only seven minutes, as specified in the laws! This was done with the help of a stopwatch.

The captain may decide to have the pitch swept before rolling or even the umpires may so decide if they feel that rolling without sweeping might damage the strip. And yes, the captain may not call for rolling at all, if he so desires.

Mowing is now compulsory at the start of each day's play other than the first day. Even the outfield has to be mowed daily in all international matches. The idea is to have the same amount of grass on the pitch, to maintain uniformity so that both sides enjoy equal benefits of the bounce, grass, etc.

Earlier, the pitch was mowed on alternate days. On recent days and weather-interrupted days, the pitch was not mown. This gave the fielding side an unfair advantage. But not anymore. All such mowing has to be completed 1/2 an hour before the roller comes on at the start of play.

At Kolkata's Eden Gardens, the ground authorities used to mow the outfield immediately after close of play. This was done as the overnight dew that would be present on the ground the following morning would render it impossible to cut the grass with a lawn-mower. Furthermore, in the mornings, the ground staff was employed to mop the outfield to enable play to start promptly in conditions that were as dry as possible.

In international matches, the pitch can be dried artificially with the help of heaters, huge pedestal fans or even choppers hovering low, just above the pitch. The idea is to not deprive the playing public from missing much action on the field. On the other hand, the pitch cannot be watered anytime during a Test match to bind up the cracks developed. But this was stealthily done during a Test at Melbourne in the Ashes series of 1954-55. The groundsman feared that the pitch would crack up very early, and hence, it was watered lightly on the morning of the rest day and allowed to dry up. The England team management got a whiff of it and rushed to the ground. Len Hutton, the England captain, protested as this was done without his knowledge, leave alone consent. The Australian Board and MCG authorities apologised. But thanks to Frank 'Typhoon' Tyson, England still beat Australia quite comfortably.

The creases have to be remarked during all the intervals and interruptions. They can also be remarked even when a game is in progress, if the umpires feel at any time that it is necessary.

The footholes near the popping crease that are caused by the persistent pounding of the bowlers have to be repaired or refilled with mud, and levelled properly so that no damage is caused to the bowler's ankles. This is especially crucial when the conditions are wet, and dry sawdust can help sustain the 'injured area' till the next interval when further fillings/repairs can be undertaken.

Years ago, pitches were not covered during the game. Bowlers created havoc and matches finished early or were washed out. The gate money was thus affected. Hence, it was decided to cover the bowler's run-up, and if necessary, the entire pitch by special regulations only.

Nowadays, the entire square on the central plot has to be covered at the end of the day's play in case of rains or even bad light at the international level. The supersopper helps in absorbing all moisture on the ground to enable play to resume early. The covers are also of a very high quality to prevent seepage.

The Edgbaston ground at Birmingham in England recently introduced covers that could protect not only the playing square but the whole ground. And all this within six minutes! Most international grounds have adequate covering facilities today.

The covers on the pitch should be removed early in the morning if the weather is clear. This will allow the pitch to dry up with the breeze as well as sunlight. The sweating on the pitch provides assistance to the pace bowlers for an hour and a half. This sweating is caused by the evaporation beneath the covers. But the covers ensure prompt resumption of play.

- By Piloo Reporter