Image for representation only© AFP
English county Leicestershire is facing an intriguing allegation. It is fighting to avoid relegation from Division One of the County Championship, but the outcome may depend on a Cricket Discipline Panel decision regarding their pitch. A report in Cricinfo said that Leicestershire have been charged with breaching the ECB’s pitch regulations for their home fixture against Glamorgan last month. The report added that match referee Ian Ramage had asked Andy Mackay, the ECB’s pitch and grounds advisor, to carry out an inspection after the side won a low-scoring match.
Leicestershire said that they “strongly dispute the allegations” brought by the Regulator, which have now been referred to the independent Cricket Discipline Panel. The club responded to the charges on Monday and added: “As the proceedings are ongoing, we will refrain from providing further comments until the outcome of the hearing is determined.”
“The surface had an unusual appearance, with a grass covering mid-pitch but both ends cut shorter, and several dismissals were the result of variable bounce. However, all four innings lasted at least 50 overs, and two players, Sheridon Gumbs and Kiran Carlson, made scores in the 90s,” the report stated.
“Alfonso Thomas, Leicestershire’s head coach, suggested that the fact that a film crew, understood to be a Bollywood production team filming for a biopic, had been shooting at Uptonsteel Grace Road in the build-up to the game had affected the pitch’s moisture levels.”
Earlier, Thomas had said: “A couple of batters showed that if you applied yourself, and didn’t just wait for the ball to go up and down, you could make runs. You had a couple of guys who batted for almost 200 balls. As for any suggestion that it was unsafe, no one went to hospital.”
Featured Video Of The Day
CWG 2026 Weightlifting Gold Medallist, Mirabai Chanu Get Hero’s Welcome in Delhi
Topics mentioned in this article
