ICC issues warning over Test pitch

Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club has escaped a fine but has been given an official warning for the condition of the Trent Bridge pitch in the drawn first Test between England and India.

The lifeless pitch saw 1,444 runs scored across the five days, including a record-breaking 10^th wicket stand for England.

The "official warning" was issued after David Boon, who was the match referee for the Trent Bridge Test, rated the pitch as "poor" at the conclusion of the match and in accordance with the ICC Pitch Monitoring Process.

"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 re-lay the pitch ahead of the next international cricket season," the ICC said in a statement issued on Monday.

"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."

Trent Bridge is scheduled to host the fourth Ashes Test in 2015, but this sanction from the ICC will not have any bearing on the ECB’s allocation of Ashes Test matches.

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So severe was the criticism of the recent Trent Bridge Test pitch that groundsman Steve Birks took the unusual step of issuing a public apology.

The first time a pitch is rated as "poor" by the ICC, a warning and or fine not exceeding $US15,000 can be imposed, together with a directive for "appropriate corrective action".

The ECB were given 14 days to respond to Boon's finding, but in response to the ICC's initial statement, the England and Wales Cricket Board said steps were already being taken to address the "uncharacteristic" nature of the pitch.

Prior to the Test, exiled England batsman Kevin Pietersen argued modern drainage systems had turned English Test pitches into "sandpits".

"Home advantage was lost when new drainage systems were installed at Test venues turning our pitches into sandpits," Pietersen wrote in his newspaper column.

"They are horrendous. They give little to the seamers and when it spins, it does so slowly, negating the threat of the turning ball."

However, the ECB's statement said: "It has already been established that the drainage system at Trent Bridge played no part in the unexpected issues that arose around the preparation and performance of the Test Match wicket."

During the first Test, India made 457 and 9-391 declared, while England complied 596.

Both teams saw their last-wicket pairs in Nottingham involved in century stands, with England's Joe Root and James Anderson putting on a Test record 10th-wicket partnership of 198.

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Since the first Test in the five-match series, India and England won the second and third Tests respectively - setting up a terrific contest in the fourth Test which starts on Thursday.