What is the Cricket Pitch Length? Complete Guide (Feet & Meters)

Cricket is a very popular sport throughout the world, and whenever someone is unsure, whether a beginner, fan, or player, they often ask, What is the length of a cricket pitch?

The cricket pitch is the soul of the game; it is where bowlers charge in, batsmen take guard, and wickets are taken/broken. Cricket fields may vary, but above all, the one fixed and standardized part of every cricket field around the world, under the ICC rules, is the length of the pitch.

Throughout this complete guide, we will explore cricket pitch length in feet, yards, and meters. 

What is a Cricket Pitch?

The cricket pitch is the rectangular area at the center of the cricket field where all the action happens. Well prepared by the groundsmen for a batting and bowling balance in cricket.

• Cricket pitch length: standardized across all formats.
• Width of the pitch: fixed by ICC rules, too.
• The pitch is not the whole ground; the pitch is the strip of ground where bowling and batting occur.

In short, the cricket pitch is the central playing surface. The cricket ground is the whole oval field.

What is the Official Cricket Pitch Length?

The International Cricket Council has set strict guidelines for preparing a pitch for an international match. These guidelines remain the same no matter which type of international matches are conducted anywhere on the planet. 

Here are the standard cricket pitch measurements for international cricket. 

In this table, we’ve listed the cricket pitch dimensions in feet, meters, and yards. So, if anyone asks you about the cricket pitch in meters, just say 20.12 meters.  

Historically, the international cricket pitch length has been 22 yards since the 18^th century. The size comes from or is inspired by old English land measurement practices. 

Different Cricket Pitch Lengths in Various Formats

Now that you’ve become aware of the cricket pitch measurements in international cricket, let’s have a look at different pitch lengths in various formats. 

Junior and state school stage matches can have a shorter pitch to accommodate those games. Here is the table that represents that. 

In various formats like Tests, ODIs, and T20Is of Men’s & Women’s international cricket, the cricket pitch size remains the same. 

Terms Associated with Cricket Pitch

Before learning more about cricket pitch dimensions, let’s first learn the words associated with a cricket pitch. Here is the list of words you should know about to get a deeper understanding of a cricket pitch length. 

• Bowling Crease – The line on which the stumps are placed. The bowler must bowl with some part of the front foot behind that line. If it is not, then that is a no-ball. It defines the legal delivery.
  
• Popping Crease – The line in front of the stumps that batters must reach to be safe from a runout or to be stumped. The bowler must bowl the ball before the bowler steps past the crease, or it becomes a no-ball. 
  
• Return Crease – Lines marked perpendicular to the bowling crease. The bowler must have part of the back foot behind these lines while bowling the ball. If he steps over the line, then it will also be an illegal delivery or a no-ball.
  
• Wide Guidelines – Lines are marked vertically from the popping crease to the bowling crease in the limited games. These lines run parallel to the return crease on each side of the wicket. These are considered the wide guidelines in limited-overs cricket.
  
• Protected Area – The pitch is marked on either side of the wicket with indicators that run parallel to the end of the popping crease in front of each.

Wicket and Crease Measurements

A cricket pitch is incomplete without the wickets and crease markings. These define the rules of the play for bowlers, batsmen, and umpires.

Wickets (Stumps and Bails)

• Each wicket has three stumps and two bails
• The height of the stump is 28 inches 
• The total width of the stumps is nine inches

Bowling Crease

• It has a length of 8 feet 8 inches or 2.64 meters
• The stumps are placed on this line

Popping Crease

• It is drawn four feet in front of the bowling crease
• It marks the safe zone for batsmen

Return Crease

• It is drawn perpendicular to the popping crease 
• It defines the bowler’s delivery area

Does Cricket Pitch Length Change in Different Formats?

One of the biggest myths regarding the cricket pitch length is that it changes depending on the format. But that’s not the case. 

The pitch length in cricket always remains the same in all international formats played by men’s and women’s teams. 

• Tests are played for five days on a 22-yard pitch
• ODIs are played for one day on a 22-yard pitch
• The fastest format of cricket is also played on a 22-yard pitch. 

The length of the cricket pitch always remains the same, but the boundary size and ground dimensions may differ according to the ground. 

Conclusion

How long is a cricket pitch?

The answer is here: 22 yards / 66 feet / 20.12 meters! The cricket pitch length is a fixed component in ICC regulations across all formats of the game.

• Width: 10 feet.
• Distance between wickets: 22 yards.
• Crease markings: defined to ensure fair play.

The length is fixed; pitch conditions (green, flat, dusty) will vary every match to add a further level of excitement and uniqueness to every match.

Regardless of whether you’re just picking up the game or you’re a keen follower of the game, you now know exactly the size of the pitch, and this allows you to appreciate the structure and fairness within the game.

FAQs