Rankings were introduced to protect players and promote fair competition between bat and ball in Test matches.

The standard of the pitch is crucial in influencing the outcome of a game, as wickets with favorable spin potentially favor a team, or a pitch with favorable spin helps the team with faster bowlers.

The ICC says a Test bowling should allow players to demonstrate all individual skills of the game at various stages of the match, and “should slightly favor the bowling team”.

“An exemplary pitch should be expected to deteriorate as the match progresses, with increasingly inconsistent bounce and the ball deviating further from the playing surface,” he adds.

The match referee also takes into account variations in playing conditions: tests in the subcontinent offer more changes on the first day.

All fields will be judged on how they play, although grading can also be positively influenced by the quality of the contest, the longevity of the match and the individual performances produced during the match.