A cricket pitch is a passage of 22-yards that is made with the help of grass, soil, and dust. These constituents are spread across and underneath the surface in a manner that the pitch is form enough to withstand the bounces of a cork ball for prolonged hours or days. The pitch is made by taking into consideration the temperature and moisture levels. One type of pitch that develops owing to the external weather is a sticky pitch.
A cricket pitch must be covered whenever it rains or when the conditions are overcast. The pitch becomes wet should there be no protective layering during such weather. Such a pitch becomes dangerous for the batters as the bounce of the ball becomes uneven. The batters thus are at a risk of inadvertent injury.
Spinners may get some extra advantage on these surfaces. Upon pitching, the ball deviates or turns more than expected. The moment the pitch begins to dry, the pace bowlers can target the good length area to see the ball bounce higher.
Sticky pitches usually have been a reason for the termination of cricket matches. While better pitch covering systems exist in professional cricket, a sticky wicket is not uncommon in amateur cricket. One common way by which a pitch becomes sticky in modern cricket is when warm weather dries up the dew.
A cricketer’s skill and adaptability to varies conditions are put to test based on the various ways the pitch behaves. This is the reason why many cricket pundits believe that a sticky wicket must not be the subject for a match to be cancelled. Instead, the extra bounce of the ball generated when the pitch dries up is what makes the match more thrilling. But modern game is different for the fact that it involves a lot of power hitting and fitness levels are paramount. Thus, to avoid any adverse circumstance, cricket referees often find it suitable to cease a match due to a sticky pitch.
