Law 41 - Damaging the Pitch

Today, the fifth day of test match between India and Australia, have gone down the wire, witnessing one of the epic draws in the recent times. This draw came as India were given a target of 407 in their second innings, with India reeling at 98/2, on the end of day 4. During the last day, an injured Indian team, came fighting hard for either a win or a draw with Rishabh Pant and Pujara reaching their half centuries whereas Ashwin and Vihari, batted for more than 4 hours, with both carrying injuries, saving the test match from a sure shot agony. During this game, an incident broke up, which went viral on social media.

Wait, wait, wait, the title you have given is about damaging the pitch, whereas in the lead paragraph, you are writing about the summary of the pitch ? where does these both instances getting related is what will be the question of yours, placed in front of me. The incident is related to the Law no : 41 - Damaging the Pitch. 

During the time, where lunch break got announced, players started to move back to their pavilion. During that period, after being unable to stop Rishabh Pant, who was batting at the striker's end, Steve Smith went to the pitch, did shadow practice of his batting and then scrubbed of the batsman's guard line, with his leg. So, obviously Rishabh Pant needs to take another guard. The video of this incident went viral through social media, with most of them accusing Steve Smith.

First of all, when we look this matter in a morale basis, this act isn't a sportsmanship. Because, scrubbing of a batsman's guard may look something simple, for people who don't know why a batsman is taking guard. Whereas, people who knew about cricket, will definitely won't take it as simple as it looks. 

Generally, Batsmen take guard, by a placing a bat, in the line of either middle stump or off stump. When he places his bat, he asks the on field umpire to see whether the line is correct. If not, the umpires signals the changes and he does. After placing the bat at perfect line, he draws a straight line, in the line of the guard which took. This line is drawn either with the sharp edge of the spike shoe he wears, or with digging a small hole with the bails, just as a mark. 

This act of taking guard is mainly done, for first making a first stance to gain at a position. Then, the line at which he takes guard, determines his range of shots and his balance in shot making. For batsman, taking guard at off stump line, he would be a player who is dominant more straight of the wicket. Whereas, if a batsman takes guard at middle stump line, it means him to be a slogger at leg side. 

So, after Steve Smith scrubbed off the guard, which was took by Rishabh Pant, when he came back and needed to take another guard, it would have created some mental discomfort. It would have meant him that, after taking another guard, he needs to start off again to stay in the right position and right balance. After coming back to right balance, he needs to continue. This act is seen as to trap Rishabh Pant, but on the other hand, Pant didn't seem to down himself that easy.

Other than morale grounds, when we come into the Law no : 41 - Damaging the Pitch, it says whether, this is right or wrong. The central portion of the pitch (5 feet from each popping crease, and 1 foot either side of the line joining the centres of the two middle stumps) is designated a protected area (this is the area the ball will most often bounce in). The bowlers from the fielding side should not enter this area during the follow-through of their bowling action, nor should the batsman take guard within it or so close that they would frequently move into it. A bowler will get two warnings should they run into the protected area; should they encroach again, they will be suspended from bowling for the remainder of the innings. A batsman gets one warning and on subsequent transgressions incurs a 5 run penalty. 

Each side must also avoid deliberate or avoidable damage to the whole of the pitch (there will be unavoidable damage due to the bowler running off the pitch after bowling and the batsman taking his stance by the popping crease). Each side gets on warning for avoidable damage, any subsequent instance of avoidable damage will see a 5 run penalty awarded to the other side. 

So, now it is clearly understood that the act of damaging the pitch, where it should be avoided, means to be a breach on ICC's Code of Conduct Law. Whereas, the acts like bowling, batting and fielding, it is unavoidable and this unavoidable act may not comes under breaching of law. In the case of Steve Smith, he deliberately did the act of scrubbing off the guard took by Pant. Hence, his act will definitely amount of Breach on ICC's Code of Conduct.