The advent of technology has had an effect on sports. Whether it is equipment, rules or the surface the sport is played on, everything has evolved to an extent. Cricket matches that used to last for five days have now been reduced to 20-overs per side game to make it more engaging. At the same time, not only rules of hockey but the surface it is played on went a major change which changed the face of the game in order to make it more fast-paced. Here's a look at the comparison between different types of surface, dimensions of the ground/court.
Cricket
Invented by the British, cricket is not as global as few other sports on the list. However, it has a massive fan-following, especially in a cricket-crazy nation India. From the era of colonialism, the oppressed slowly learned to beat the English in their own game. While the overall ground size differs, there are few dimensions which cannot be tampered with.
Shape of cricket field - circular/oval
As per ICC rules, the boundary line should not exceed 82.289 metres (90 yards) on any side of the ground. Also, it should not be less than 59.43 metres (65 yards). The distance is measured from the centre of the pitch.
Pitch length - 20.12 metres (22 yards)
Pitch width - 3.05 metres
Inner circle - 27.4 metres (30 yards)
Height of the stumps from ground surface - 71.12 cm
Total width of both bails i.e. the wicket - 22.86 cm
Depth of crease - 1.22 metre
Capacity of spectators - It ranges from 1,000 to approximately 1 lakh.
Field hockey
Field hockey is probably one sport that has undergone most changes. Not just rules but the entire ground surface went under innovation. Another sport invented by the British, the game was later developed in Western Europe, South Asia, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and the United States of America. For the first time, the term field hockey was used in Canada as ice hockey is more popular in the cold nation. In simple words, it is named field hockey because it is played in a field. Here's a look at how hockey field used to have a grass on them and how it changed to artificial turf.
Artificial turf changes the game
Like football and cricket, hockey was also played on a field which had natural grass. India used to dominate the sport in that era. The biggest change came in the year 1970 when artificial grass surface was introduced. Made from polyamide/nylon, the surface needs water in between and after the match to help players maintain balance and avoid injury while taking wild turns. It also allowed good control of the ball. Six years later, the revolution came to Olympic Games 1976 where artificial turf was used.
What led to colour change?
Earlier, hockey was played on green turf. The colour was changed because of broadcasters as white ball was spotted better on a blue field. The federation obliged and switched to blue turf which is being used since London Olympics 2012 giving the game a makeover.
Hockey field details
Length and breadth of hockey field - 91.40 metre × 55 metre (rectangular)
Height of goal post - 2.14 metre
Width of goal post - 3.66 metre
Distance from center line to both sides - 45.7 m
Fourth Line - Another line of 22.9 metre that divides the field into four halves
Penalty Spot - 6.40 metre from the goal post
Shooting circle - 15 metres away from the base line.
Penalty Corner - At a distance of 4.975 metre and 9.975 metre from the center of the backline, a line 0.3 metre in length is drawn.
Average spectator capacity of hockey field - from 15 to 20 thousand
Football
Football is considered as the most popular sport in the world. Like cricket, football is also played on grass and rarely on turf. The major changes to the game were introduced in FIFA World Cup 1970. Yellow and red cards made the game better. With technology coming into play, VAR, off-side techniques, and goal-line technology were introduced to bring more balance to the game.
Shape of football field – rectangle
Football field length - 120 metre
Football field width - 90 metre
Centre line - 45 metre
Length and width - 7.32 metre and 2.44 metre
Penalty kick spot - 11 metre distance from goal post
Kick-off spot - 9.15 metre circle
Penalty Area Box - 16.5m in length and 40.3m in width
Penalty corner flag height - 1.5 metre minimum
Spectator capacity - 20 to 90,000
Baseball
Baseball is considered as the closest sport to cricket. The sport also has a large fan base, especially in United States and Japan. The sport was first introduced by the immigrants to North America. Later, by the end of the 19th century, it was elevated to the status of national sport of America.
Distance from the point where pitcher throws the ball - 5.49 metre
Distance between batter's box to pitcher - 18.39 metre
End point fence from home base - 76.2 metre
Foul line from second base - 27.4 metre
Pitcher circle to grass line - Arc of 28.9 metre (half circle)
Distance from batter box to back fence - 18.28 metre
Home base to first base - 27.4 metre
Home base to second base - 38.8 metre
Second base to first base - 27.4 metre
Home base to third base - 27.74 metre
Second base to second base - 27.4 metre
First base to third base - 28.8 metre
Average spectator capacity - 50,000 to 60,0000
Tennis, Badminton and Wrestling
While cricket and football are played on grass and hockey has moved from grass to blue turf, tennis is one game which is played on three different surfaces - synthetic court, grass court and clay court. The length and width of all three grounds along with rules remain the same. On the other hand, badminton is played on a synthetic court whereas wrestling is played on a mat. Here is a detailed insight about the three different sports.
Tennis court details
Total area - 260.87 square metres
Length and width of tennis court - 23.77 metre and 10.97 metre for doubles
Tennis court length and width - 23.77 metres and 8.23 metres for singles
Distance from nets to base line - 11.88 metres
Net’s Height - 1.07 metre at the edge and 0.914 metre in the middle
Distance from net to service line - 6.4 metres
Base line distance from service line - 5.48 metres
Distance between singles side line to doubles side line - 1.37 metres
Center service line to side line distance - 4.11 metres
Average spectator capacity of tennis stadium - From 15 to 23 thousand
Badminton court details
Length and width of badminton court - 13.4 metres and 6.1 metres for doubles
Length and width of badminton court - 13.4 metres and 5.18 metres for singles
Distance from net to base line - 6.71 metres
Net’s Height - 1.55 metres
Distance from net to service line - 1.98 metres
Distance from base line distance to service line - 4.76 metres
Average spectator capacity of badminton stadium - 5 thousand
Amateur wrestling mat details
Total Area - 144 square metres
Length and breadth of square mat - 12 metre each
Centre circle diameter - 1.5 metre
Inner circle diameter - 7 metres
Outer circle diameter - 9 metres
Protection area - 1 metre
Free space - 2 metres
Spectator capacity - 5 to 15 thousand
