ICC's Global Cricket Academy shares expertise on preparation of pitches

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GCA’s head curator travels to Pakistan to teach the scientific approach to the best cricket surfaces

The ICC Global Cricket Academy’s (GCA) head curator has been to Pakistan to present a seminar on the art of preparing pitches.

Following a visit to Dubai Sports City, the Pakistan Cricket Board invited Tony Hemming to Lahore to talk to more than 30 participants about pitch construction, preparation and measuring pitch performance. He also discussed environmental issues, planning for Test matches and effective record keeping.

Mr Hemming said the three-day course was very rewarding.

“The International Cricket Council’s GCA is committed to improving all areas of the game and the seminar allowed ground staff from Pakistan to come together to discuss the art of preparing a cricket pitch,” he said.

The invited guests were treated to a presentation on the construction of Dubai Sports City’s 25,000-seater cricket stadium with details on how soil brought over from Pakistan was being used in the building of the pitch.

“To develop cricketers of the future, we also need to develop young curators who have an educational science background that can work alongside the more experienced curators. In time they will be producing pitches that can favour a more entertaining game on the Asian sub-continent,” Mr Hemming added.

Mr Hemming is a highly experienced curator with more than 20 years experience. He worked at the Melbourne Cricket Club in his native Australia, Surrey County Cricket Club in England and he also managed the grounds-keeping at Optus Oval and the Telstra Dome in Melbourne and Aurora Stadium in Tasmania.

He later moved to the Middle East where he oversaw the grounds management of King Fahd International Stadium in Saudi Arabia. He now lives in Dubai where he oversees Dubai Sports City’s turf management department incorporating the role of head curator of the GCA.

The GCA, which is based at Dubai Sports City, is building wickets that replicate playing conditions across the world. It is envisaged that this will help to attract many of the top teams and also to provide a wide spectrum of coaching in what will be a unique environment.

“Part of our role at the GCA is to ensure that we share good practice across all of the cricket-playing nations and we are perfectly placed to facilitate these hugely productive meetings,” said the GCA’s General Manager Marc Archer.