The Hampshire club has been charged with points deduction for below average pitch on the clash against Essex between July 25-27.
Hampshire gets points deduction for ‘below average’ pitch
A Cricket Discipline Commission Panel have fined Hampshire for not following Board’s pitch regulations. This was due to the claim of the ‘Below average’ pitch by match referee and hence Hampshire will be deducted three points from their 2023 County Championship.
The CDC panel also imposed a fine of GBP 5000 and a 20-point deduction for the County Championship 2024 suspended until the last day of this season. These suspended points will be deducted if the club involves in any breach of the pitch regulations in relation to the County Championship.
Hampshire was fined under the regulation 8.1 of ECB’s Pitch Regulations, which the franchise seeks to prepare the best quality cricket pitch it hosts.
The match against Essex in the home ground where Essex folded Hampshire our for 120 in the first innings where Essex was all out by 169. By the end, Essex completed a six-wicket win.
Anthony McGrath, Essex’s coach said, “The pitch wasn’t ideal. I don’t think there was any intent there but it hasn’t made it a fair battle between bat and ball. I don’t want to criticise it strongly but anyone who was here knows it wasn’t ideal for first-class cricket.”
James Vince, Hampshire’s captain, said: “The pitch didn’t play quite how we wanted it to or expected it to but it was the same for both teams… you needed a bit of luck on a pitch that was seaming around a bit, but in the end they coped with conditions better than we did.”
This violation of pitch regulations is not first time as Somerset were deducted 12 points for preparing a poor pitch in the final fixture in 2019.
The CDC will reveal a fully reasoned decision in due course, after the 14 days time will be given to parties to lodge any appeal. Hampshire is in the third place in the Division one table with 140 points with Surrey in the first place with 183 and Essex at second at 166.
Recently many players from different franchise of County Championship have returned to home to participate in their international matches and they have signed many players for finishing the final fixtures in the County Championships. Recently, Karun Nair have joined Northamptonshire for playing the final three fixtures of the franchise.
Hampshire is already out of the title race with only few rounds left in the season. They will be playing their next match against Leicestershire on September 16 at Trent Bridge and will be playing their match against Essex on September 19 at County Cricket Ground, Chelmsford.
