Official warning for poor Trent Bridge Test pitch

The International Cricket Council (ICC) Monday announced that Trent Bridge has been given an official warning under the ICC Pitch Monitoring Process following the first drawn Test between England and India last month.

The sanction takes into account the Nottingham venue's history of producing good quality international pitches, that the monitoring of the pitch preparation by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) before the Test was appropriate, and that there was a commitment by both the ECB and Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club to relay the pitch ahead of the next international cricket season.

In reaching the verdict, the ICC observed that the pitch did not provide a fair contest between bat and ball throughout, and concluded that the pitch prepared for the match was of an unacceptable standard for Test cricket.

The finding was made by the ICC's General Manager, cricket, Geoff Allardice, and the ICC's chief match referee, Ranjan Madugalle, after David Boon, who was the match referee for the Trent Bridge Test, rated the pitch as poor.