Those sort of conditions are most commonly found in the more temperate climates of England and New Zealand.

‘Greener’ wickets with more grass on and a more moist surface are found in such countries and they favour the quicker bowlers as they assist movement off the seam.

The aim for the bowler is to try and keep the seam of the ball in as upright a position as possible so that it gains maximum contact with the wicket when it pitches.

The friction of the seam in contact with the wicket generates what is termed ‘movement off the seam’.

Drier pitches, found in India and Pakistan are far more helpful to spin bowlers. The pace of such pitches is far slower, giving a spinning ball more time to grip and ‘turn off the pitch’.

But on these surfaces the bounce of the ball is far more inconsistent.

Play will be stopped in the event of rain or bad light which may make batting conditions dangerous.