English cricket authorities face the prospect of a $US15,000 ($A16,200) fine after Australian match referee David Boon’s poor rating of the docile Trent Bridge pitch following last week’s England-India drawn first Test.
Boon’s verdict, announced by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Saturday, is the first time a Test pitch in England has been labelled as poor by a match referee and will undoubtedly add to the embarrassment felt by officials at Nottinghamshire over the sub-standard nature of their usually excellent wicket.
Boon, who played Tests in England during the 1980s and ’90s, oversaw proceedings at Trent Bridge where, almost from the start, there were complaints about an unusually dry and lifeless surface which frustrated the faster bowlers.
So severe was the criticism that groundsman Steve Birks took the unusual step of issuing a public apology.
The ICC said Boon, under its regulations, had submitted a report to the global governing body expressing his concerns over the quality of the pitch.
This report has been forwarded to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) which has 14 days to respond.
When the ECB has responded, the ICC’s general manager of cricket and chief match referee Ranjan Madugalle will consider all the available evidence, including video footage, to decide whether they agree with Boon’s assessment and, if so, what penalty, if any, to impose under its pitch monitoring process.
The first time a pitch is rated as poor by the ICC, a warning and/or fine not exceeding $15,000 can be imposed with a directive for “appropriate corrective action”.
However, such a judgment would not lead to a ground being stripped of its right to stage international matches.
During the first Test, India made 457 and 391 for nine declared, while England complied 596 in its lone innings.
Both teams’ last-wicket pairs in Nottingham were involved in century stands with England’s Joe Root and James Anderson putting on a Test record 10th-wicket partnership of 198.
After the match, both captains said they wanted to play on more typically ‘English’ pitches during the rest of the five-Test series.
