Advent of Pitch Curators & The Role They Play in Modern Cricket

Here’s a look at the role of a curator of pitches in cricket stadiums.

Pandurang Salgaoncar's fall from grace has suddenly shifted focus on pitch curators – a section in cricketing community who have a major role to play but are grossly underpaid.

Till the 1960s, there used to just be the odd groundsmen or 'malis' who would take care of the wicket as there was no formal pitch preparation. It was the time of uncovered wickets where batsmen's technique would be tested to the limit. Incessant rain left pitches damp.

It was in the mid 70s that pitch preparation was taken seriously with cricket associations keeping the surface under cover.

The term ‘pitch curator’ though, came in vogue only during the 1980s as some of the earlier groundsmen with knowledge of soil and weather were considered good enough for the job.

Also Read: MCA to Conduct Inquiry Into Curator’s Pitch Tampering Sting

So What's the Role of a Pitch Curator?

Being a pitch curator simply means the man in-charge needs to assess the weather and then decide on a type of soil mixture and clay content that would work best with the environment of the particular region.

The curators in India normally start working once the monsoon season gets over and try to prepare pitches before the Diwali season when domestic cricket across age groups and senior level starts.

This is also the time when the Indian team plays at home.

The BCCI has a pitches and grounds committee, which is currently headed by Daljeet Singh. Under him are a number of curators who have passed the board's curators exam.

These men normally oversee preparation for international and Ranji Trophy matches guiding the local curators.

How Much Can a Curator Change the Pitch

Now, how much of a role can a curator play in influencing the result of a match? Well, they can, provided they get the conducive conditions.

The Indian teams since the 1990s have been notorious for demanding rank turners (ball turning at right angles). It's like the rule of O'Marta where it is an unspoken code. There would be no demand from the team management in writing but curators would be sent feelers to meet their demand.

Accordingly, seven days before a Test, if there is bright sunshine, the curator stops watering the pitch. And once the match starts, it starts turning from the first hour.

It happened in Kanpur (India vs South Africa) in 2008 and in Nagpur (India vs South Africa) in 2015. Both pitches were rated poor by match referees.

The ideal turner is when one stops watering the pitch, a couple of days before the game, so that ball starts turning from day 3 onwards.

In India, not many bouncy pitches are found, but Mohali during the 90s under Daljeet was the bounciest in the country. The track in Dharamsala at a high altitude helps seam and swing movement due to cooler conditions.

Similarly, Eden Gardens helps seamers due to its proximity to Hooghly river.

Curators can be the determining factor only when conditions are complementary. Or else, he can’t do anything in even a month. Pandurang Salgaoncar was bluffing.

BCCI curator

The BCCI curators are paid in the range of Rs 35,000 to Rs 70,000, depending on their experience. The state associations are worse pay masters, with some of them paying less than Rs 20,000, making them a vulnerable lot.

Also Read: MCA to Conduct Inquiry Into Curator’s Pitch Tampering Sting

(With inputs from PTI)

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