Lesson 10 of 14

Drop-In Pitches

5 min read•1/19 sections

Pre-grown surfaces, lifted in by crane.

First used routinely at the MCG in the 1990s, now common in Australia and NZ.

Pros: consistent character, allows multi-sport venues. Cons: less binding with the surrounding outfield, occasionally inconsistent .

Curators have refined drop-ins to match traditional 'in-situ' behaviour within ~10% on key metrics.

Technical Breakdown

19-section schema

MCC's Laws (first codified 1744, current 2017 edition) set the 22-yard and playing-area dimensions cricket still uses today.