5 Instances when dangerous pitch forced cricket matches to be abandoned

Five times when cricket matches were abandoned due to dangerous pitch conditions.

Melbourne Renegades and Perth Scorchers’ clash in the BBL 2023-24 at Geelong Stadium was called off due to the uncharacteristic bounce from the wicket. The game was halted after the 6.5 overs as the pitch was behaving awkwardly and the uneven bounce on the wicket was ‘dangerous’ for any batter to bat on. According to Fox Sports, water leaked from the covers and made the wicket damp, which made it difficult for anyone to bat comfortably.

This may be the first instance in T20 cricket that a game was called off due to dangerous pitch conditions, but not in the game of cricket. There have been a few instances where dangerous pitches caused uneven bounce and forced the umpires to abandon the game. From Delhi to Melbourne’s MCG, a few of the iconic stadiums have faced penalties for poor wickets as well. Let’s have a look at five instances when a game was abandoned due to a poor wicket.

1. West Indies vs England, Sabina Park 1997 :

This was the first instance in international cricket where a game was called off due to dangerous pitch. Kingston’s Sabina Park was hosting England for a test match but the wicket played a spoilsport for Caribbean party. England batters were struggling at 17 for 3. The unusual bounce in the wicket forced umpires Steve Buckner and S. Venkatraghavan to call off the game as the pitch was dangerous to play on. 

2. West Indies vs England, Sir Viv Richards Stadium in 2009 :

This game was done and dusted only in 10 balls. West Indian skipper Chris Gayle won the toss and invited England to bat first in the game. The game was called off due to unplayable wicket as well as sand-based outfield that was prepared for a five-day game at Sir Viv Richards Stadium in Antigua. This was the second instance in test cricket and for West Indies that a match was called off due to dangerous wicket. 

3. India vs Sri Lanka, Feroz Shah Kotla (Now Arun Jaitley Stadium) 2009 :

This is the only ODI in the history of the game to be called off due to poor and dangerous conditions on the pitch. The game lasted for only 23.3 overs and after that Feroz Shah Kotla was banned from hosting international matches for a year. The game was stopped and called off due to the uncharacteristic bounce of the wicket. BCCI also sacked the ground staff headed by Daljit Singh who later came back to head the committee again.

4. Melbourne Renegades vs Perth Scorchers, Geelong Stadium 2023 (BBL) :

Here's the delivery that prompted the discussions.Quinton de Kock's reaction 🫢 #BBL13 pic.twitter.com/1Tbq5YRjnq

— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) December 10, 2023

Geelong witnessed intense rain before the start of the game between Melbourne Renegades and Perth Scorchers in BBL 2023-24. Water leaked through the covers before the match and made the pitch damp before the action unfolded. This made the pitch produce uneven bounce on the wicket and was dangerous for the batters. After 6.5 overs the umpires came together and decided to call off the play. This was the first instance to take place in a T20 game.

5. Victoria vs Western Australia, MCG 2019, Sheffield Shield :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7OPDxT7mU8

Iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground also became the victim of poor pitch used during a Sheffield Shield game between Victoria and Western Australia in 2019. The game lasted for more than one session of play and later on, the umpires decided to halt and call off the game due to dangerous pitch. This four-day game witnessed 39.4 overs bowled with just 89 runs scored by Western Australia. The centre of the wicket was too soft to play a cricket match. Batsmen like Shaun Marsh, Marcus Stoinis took body blows due to uneven bounce offered by the pitch.

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