Paul Taylor, a former English cricketer, has dedicated over four decades of his life to the sport. His extensive experience includes representing England and achieving remarkable feats in first-class cricket. Throughout his career, he has gained a deep understanding of the game’s grassroots level.
Currently, Taylor is actively working towards transforming Indian cricket through his company, SIS Pitches, by introducing Stitched Hybrid Pitches. These innovative pitches are composed of a blend of natural turf grass and approximately five percent twisted yarn. The integration of these materials has been shown to significantly enhance the durability of the pitch.
The implementation of Stitched Hybrid Pitches not only extends the lifespan of the playing surface but also enables venues to host three times the number of matches compared to traditional pitches.
SIS Pitches has launched its operations in India and has successfully installed these pitches at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA), where they have already delivered impressive results.
„We’ve installed eight pitches at the HPC Stadium in Dharamshala. There are four on the main stadium site and then there’s two each in the practice areas. The pitches on the main stadium were used for practice, for the two IPL games that were recently played there, for range hitting and the feedback initially was very good. There was more pace, and more bounce,“ Paul Taylor told IANS.
In 2019, the England & Wales Cricket Board approved the use of hybrid pitches for white-ball games, and the International Cricket Council permitted their use in international matches starting in 2022.
Renowned venues such as Lord’s, Edgbaston, Sydney Cricket Ground, Adelaide Oval, and Eden Park have since installed hybrid pitches provided by SIS.
„The Indian players who used them didn’t appreciate that they were hybrid pitches, which is a good thing. A couple of the English players did notice because there were a couple of bare areas from a previous game that had not fully recovered and they could see a few fibers. So Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, and Liam Livingstone played there and they noticed it was a hybrid,“ he added.
Given that the cricketing fraternity is confused by the new pitches being introduced in the game after the use of drop-in pitches in the USA phase of the T20 World Cup, Paul emphasized on how different the two surfaces are and the benefits of the new innovation.
„A drop-in pitch is a fully natural surface that’s built in sort of movable trays that are lifted in and out of a cricket ground or a sports stadium but it’s still a fully natural pitch with natural grass. A hybrid pitch is one where artificial fibers are injected into the natural turf surface and effectively gives the profile of the soil and the grass strength and stability. That enables more play to take place, the pitch lives longer. The pace and bounce will increase over time, and effectively, you can play up to three times the amount of cricket on the same pitch,“ concluded Paul.
In conclusion, Paul Taylor’s dedication to cricket and his innovative approach to improving playing surfaces through Stitched Hybrid Pitches is making a significant impact on the game. With the successful installation of these pitches in India and around the world, it is clear that his expertise and passion for the sport are driving positive change and enhancing the cricketing experience for players and fans alike.