The 5 deadliest cricket pitches of all time
The cricket pitch has a major impact on the match being played on it. The nature of the pitch keeps on changing time by time depending on various factors. Majority of the ‘bat vs ball’ records depends upon the type and nature of the pitch.
When the pitch is greener and covered with some grass, it favours the batsmen as the ball comes nicely on to the bat. Whereas the same pitch can become a nightmare for batsmen if it has huge and wide cracks on it.
However, there have been several pitches in the world which were below the international standards and even caused deadly injuries while batting. The top 5 deadliest cricket pitches are as follows:
#5 Eden Gardens, Kolkata (1996)
Eden Gardens hosted a match between India and Sri Lanka match during the 1996 ICC World Cup. The pitch played a massive role in Sri Lanka’s win in that match as India lost wickets in quick succession due to the uncertain turn and bounce.
It was a semifinal match of the World Cup between India and Sri Lanka in which the Lankans scored a decent 251 in the first inning. At the beginning of 2nd innings, the pitch was behaving well with India being in a strong position at 98/1 with the legendary Sachin Tendulkar at the crease.
But suddenly the pitch’s condition changed, making it difficult for the Indian batsmen to judge the direction of the ball. The unpredictable turn and bounce made the situation worse for the Indian team. However, the pitch played the role in favour of the Sri Lankan team as India suddenly cramped to 120/8, before crowd violence took over and India bowed out of the World Cup.