In cricket, a pitch is an important part of the game, and it has many types of it. One of them is a flat pitch.
So what is a flat pitch? Why is it prepared? And who benefits the most — the batter or the bowler?
Let’s uncover the details about flat pitches in cricket.
Flat Pitch in Cricket
Now a flat pitch doesn’t have any grass, cracks, or rough patches on the surface. So a bowler won’t get much help from the pitch, like an invariable bounce or a lot of spin. And batters would love to play on such surfaces.
Sometimes, cricketers and cricket experts also refer to flat pitches as a flat track, a road, or even a highway. Why? These pitches almost resemble a highway and generally result in high-scoring matches.
Why are Flat Pitches Prepared?
Well, here are a few reasons that are responsible for preparing flat pitches in cricket:
To Entertain Fans
A lot of cricket fans don’t want to watch matches that progress slowly, especially T20 games. Of course, there is an exception to this.
But there are many fans who turn up in the stadiums or tune in to their TVs to watch batters hit huge sixes and enjoy the power hitting. And this is how flat pitches come into the picture since they guarantee high-scoring thrillers.
To Win a Test Series
In the 2023 Ashes Series, you must have noticed England and Australia contesting on flat pitches. These pitches were prepared due to England’s new playing approach — Bazball — under their coach Brendon McCullum.
One of the major reasons was to entertain the cricket fans, but England also wanted to win the prestigious series. Now it’s a different thing that they couldn’t win it, but they were close to the urn.
Also Read | Top Ten Ashes Tests of All Time
To Improve the Skills of Players
This is one way to prepare players for international cricket, as it will challenge them to improve their skills and perform on flat pitches. Batters will be able to score huge totals, while the bowlers will learn to deliver a performance on such pitches.
Final Words
Flat pitches in cricket are good to some extent, but they shouldn’t be a regular affair in the game. The pitches should offer a bit of a balance to both batters and bowlers; then only fans can witness a fierce batter between bat and ball.
