1 hr ago
Bollywood Shoot Blamed as Poor Pitch Costs Leicestershire Points
A film about former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly was partly made at Leicestershire’s cricket ground.
The filming happened four days before an important cricket match.
The ground’s head curator said he could not prepare or cover the pitch during the shoot.
Hot weather also made preparation harder.
During the match, the pitch bounced unevenly because cracks moved.
A cricket panel decided that the pitch was not good enough.
It took away 19 points Leicestershire had earned and added eight more penalty points.
The club was also fined £5,000.
The panel did not accept the film shoot as a reason to reduce the punishment.
Leicestershire can appeal the decision within 10 days.
The Sourav Ganguly biopic Dada was filmed at Grace Road four days before Leicestershire hosted Glamorgan.
Head groundsman Callum Lewin said the shoot prevented him from working on or covering the pitch.
The match pitch produced uneven bounce, with referee Ian Ramage recording 43 incidents linked to moving cracks.
The Cricket Discipline Panel removed Leicestershire’s 19 match points, added an eight-point penalty, and imposed a £5,000 fine.
Leicestershire has 10 days to appeal after the punishment left the club close to relegation from Division One.
- Who
- Leicestershire, Glamorgan, head groundsman Callum Lewin, and the Cricket Discipline Panel were involved; the film starred Rajkummar Rao as Sourav Ganguly.
- What
- Leicestershire was punished after a County Championship pitch produced uneven bounce during its match against Glamorgan.
- Where
- Grace Road, Leicestershire, England.
- When
- The Dada shoot took place four days before the match; Leicestershire has 10 days to appeal the decision.
- Why
- The panel found the pitch poor, while Lewin cited hot weather and the unscheduled Bollywood shoot as factors that limited preparation.
Groundsman’s Explanation
Disciplinary Panel’s Finding
Effect of the filming
Groundsman’s Explanation
Callum Lewin said an unscheduled Bollywood shoot four days before the match prevented him from working on or covering the pitch.
Disciplinary Panel’s Finding
The panel noted that the filming lasted only one day and did not accept it as a mitigating factor.
Reasons for the poor pitch
Groundsman’s Explanation
Lewin attributed the preparation problems to temperatures of about 35 degrees Celsius and the filming restrictions, describing the circumstances as outside his control.
Disciplinary Panel’s Finding
The panel upheld the charge over the poor pitch after uneven bounce and moving cracks were recorded during the match.
Key facts
- Film
- Dada, a biopic about Sourav Ganguly
- Lead actor
- Rajkummar Rao plays Sourav Ganguly
- Venue
- Leicestershire’s Grace Road
- Match
- Leicestershire versus Glamorgan
- Uneven-bounce incidents
- 43 recorded by match referee Ian Ramage
- Penalty
- 19 points removed, eight points added, and a £5,000 fine
- Appeal deadline
- Leicestershire has 10 days to appeal
Quotes
Callum Lewin
Leicestershire head groundsman
“We also had an unscheduled Bollywood filming event four days before and I was not allowed to work on the pitch. I wasn’t allowed to cover it or anything”
thestatesman.com
“There was a lot of circumstances leading up to the game that were just out of my control”
thestatesman.com
Sources
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