5 times in recent years that a cricket pitch was labelled 'unsporting'

It is not a very rare thing in cricket to hear about people having issues with the nature of a particular pitch; be it the players, the officials, the administrators or the experts for that matter. However, there have been certain occasions when there has been a common consensus about a pitch being of an ‘unsporting’ nature.While this kind of criticism is at times related to the poor condition of a pitch, it is also quite often about the flatness of the track which takes a result out of the equation. In the recent years, there have been quite a few instances of a pitch being labelled ‘unsporting’.Let’s take a closer look at 5 of them:

#1 Pakistan vs England, 1st Test at Abu Dhabi, October 2015

The Abu Dhabi pitch was absolutely flat with both teams getting 500-plus in their first innings

One of the most recent instances of a pitch being considered ‘unsporting’ came in October this year in a Test between Pakistan and England. The pitch at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi was in the news for all the wrong reasons as it went on to witness a tame draw on 5^th day when play was finally called off for bad light.

It was not for nothing that the track drew such intense criticism. Both teams scored more than 500 runs in their first innings and only 16 wickets fell during the first 4 days ot the Test, out of which the spinners got just 3.

At a time when Test cricket is struggling to fight for its identity against the more popular shorter formats, this kind of pitch provided to be a poor advertisement for the longest format of cricket.

#2 Australia vs England, 1st Test at Cardiff, July 2015

The pitch for the 1^stTest of the 2015 Ashes was criticised for being slow

Another very recent instance of a pitch drawing flak for being unsporting in nature came during the 2015 Ashes series. It was the pitch at Cardiff, where the 1^stTest of the series was played. The slowness of the pitch is knownto have triggered the criticism that the pitch received from all quarters.

It rendered Australian quick bowlers Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc ineffective as some lightning fast deliveries from the two died down even before they reached the wicket-keeper. Despite producing a result in favour of England, some of their own pundits were more vocal about the poor condition of the pitch.

The Cardiff pitch also drew the ire of fans and former and currentcricketers alike on a popular social media platform.

#3 India vs England, 1st Test at Trent Bridge, July 2014

The Trent Bridge pitch was so flat that Cook was forced to bring himself on to bowl

A dull pitch at Trent Bridge in the 1^stTest of the 2014 series between India and England was not only considered unsporting but also fetched a warning for the ground authorities from the International Cricket Council. Both India and England scored 400-plus runs in their 1^stinnings and the 3^rdinnings of the match saw India peter out a draw after batting out the entire last day.

Bowlers from both teams had to toil hard to get the wickets and this was one of the major reasons for the pitch to be pulled up by the ICC. Nottinghamshire were extremely lucky to escape without the fine despite the flat and slow nature of the Trent Bridge wicket.

#4 Australia vs Sri Lanka, 1st Test at Galle, September 2011

The Galle pitch was considered unsafe for play in 2011

The pitch for the 1st Test of the 3-match Test series between Australia and Sri Lanka at Galle in 2011 was labelled unsporting for a different reason altogether. This time it was more to do with the poor quality of the pitch which led to excessive turn and unusually steep bounce off the surface; this made the track too biased towards the bowlers

The ICC was forced to intervene in this matter and issued a warning to the Sri Lankan board to address the issues with the pitch. As it was the first time that the pitch at Galle had come under the scanner, no further action such as fines or suspension was considered.

#5 India vs Sri Lanka, 2nd Test at SSC Colombo, July 2010

Only 17 wickets fell in the course of the Colombo Test in 2010

It was yet another flat deck at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo which came under criticism for being an ‘unsporting’ pitch. Sri Lanka got 642 in their first innings while India managed to muster 707; the 3rd innings of the match began just before lunch on Day 5.

The skippers from both ends, Sangakkara and Dhoni, were highly vocal about the ‘unsporting’ nature of the pitch and claimed that it had nothing in it for the bowlers. The fact that only 17 wickets fell during the course of the entire match vindicated the concerns of the two captains.

The Test match as the SSC in Colombo turned out to be one of the worst adverts for the longest format of cricket.