Cricket pitches explained: 3 Basic pitch types and how they impact the scoreboard

#3 Dusty Pitch

Suitable conditions for a spinner

The primary characteristic of a dusty pitch is that it is soft. A dusty pitch is easily the best wicket for a spinner as pitches are left unrolled, that allows the ball to grip. They are ideal for spinners as the ball tends to grip the surface allowing it to turn a lot more than the other wickets.

However, these pitches have predictable or low bounce making it easy for batsmen to score runs once they adjust themselves to the conditions. Similar to a dead wicket, the subcontinent conditions favour dusty pitches. For these reasons, the Indian cricket team is known to rely on their spinners to obtain wickets in home conditions.