Cricket pitches determine how the game will be played. It is one of the most important parts of the game as the player needs to adjust and adapt to that particular wicket on that day and play accordingly. Captains and coaches across the globe analyze the pitch through their experience and opt to either bat or bowl. Some of the crucial things that they look for are the amount of moisture content, the dryness of the surface, the amount of live grass on the wicket is taken into consideration and then the captains and coaches come to a conclusion whether to bat or bowl. The sub-continent pitches in India offer a lot of turns for the spinners. The wickets in different countries have different characteristics of their own. Through this article, we present the Top 10 worst pitches in the world, which made it hard for the players to play on it. The list is in no particular order, so let’s get started.
1. India Vs South Africa Test, Kanpur, 2007-2008
This test match between India and South Africa was played in Kanpur when India was one up in the series. The wicket in Kanpur was very uneven and too dry and was not up to the standard for an international test match. It was even rated “poor” by the ICC pitch and outfield monitoring process, which began in 2006.
2. India Vs Sri Lanka ODI, Delhi, 2009-10
In the five-match ODI series between India and Sri Lanka, Delhi was the venue for the last match. The pitch offered at the Feroz Shah Kotla was termed “extremely dangerous for further play” after bowling 23.3 overs, the uneven bounce that the pitch offered was almost unplayable as the height of the bounce varied from knee level to shoulder level from the same areas. Due to this, the ground received a ban for a year from hosting an international game which was a penalty that the ICC had imposed.
3. West Indies Vs South Africa Test, Kitts, 2010
This test match was a nightmare for the bowlers as there was nothing that the wicket offered them as just 19 wickets fell in 5 days. It’s safe to say that the wicket was a batsman’s paradise. Due to the character of the wicket, there was no battle between the bat and the ball which made the test match deadwood. The pitch was termed as “too flat” and was given a rating “below average” by the ICC.
4. Sri Lanka Vs Australia Test, Galle, 2011
This test match was one to remember for Ryan Harris as he took a five-wicket haul, and the Australian won the game against Sri Lanka. The test match ended in four days as all the spinners combined took a whopping 18 wickets out of 30 wickets. It was clear from day one itself that the wicket was deteriorating very quickly than most tracks do. There were many instances where there were excessive turns very early in the game. ICC officially issued a warning to the ground.
5. England Vs India Test, Nottingham, 2014
This test match is another example of a flat track that was a batsman-friendly surface. It was the first test of the series, and it was an absolute run-fest as bowlers like Anderson and Bhuvneshwar scored half-centuries each with the bat. The surface was too flat and kept low in most cases as the edges didn’t carry towards the slips or the keeper which frustrated the bowlers. ICC warned the ground.
6. India Vs Australia Test, Pune, 2016-17
This pitch prepared in Pune was poor. The surface was deteriorating very quickly due to loose soil and spinners exploited those areas and took advantage of it and made a batsman’s life an absolute nightmare. International Cricket Council issued an official warning to the ground.
7. South Africa Vs India Test, Wanderers, 2017-18
Wanderers is one of the finest venues in South Africa. The ball was seaming quite a lot on day one, which is quite natural, but as the game progressed towards days two and three, the bounce of the wicket was very unpredictable and uneven.A couple of them got hit on their gloves which led to the physios making several trips to the middle. Three demerit points were issued to the ground. If this ground receives another two points within the next five years, it will lead to a one-year ban.
8. Australia Vs West Indies, WACA, 1997
The WACA has its reputation of producing fast, quick and bouncy wickets, but when West Indies were touring Australia in 1997, that wasn’t the case. During the last day of the match, the cracks on the surface had opened up quite a lot, and it was difficult for the batsmen to bat on. It was considered one of the worst pitches to bat on as the cracks had opened up pretty wide, which is quite unusual.
9. India Vs Sri Lanka World Cup, Kolkata, 1996
The Semi-Final of the World Cup ended in an unlikely fashion; the Sri Lankan’s posted a strong 251 total batting first. In the second innings, India started well which was led in charge by the legendary Sachin Tendulkar’s team, the score being 98/1. After this, there was a quick change of events as the surface was getting unpredictable with its bounce and this, in turn, made it harder for the Indian batsmen.
10. West Indies Vs England Test, Sabina Park, 1998
The 90’s West Indies team was always known for its fast bowling, having produced great cricketers like Ambrose and Walsh. Their pitches have also been fast bowler-friendly but this time, the Sabina Park wicket turned out to be too dangerous to play because of its bouncy and uneven nature. The match was abandoned just after 10.1 overs.
