SOMERSET POINTS DEDUCTION: The major questions to emerge from overshadowed Championship decider

NICK HOWSON: The Taunton club were adjudged to have produced a "poor" pitch for the visit of Essex in September and are due to start the 2020 season on -12 points

News on Monday that Somerset have been docked 24 points - 12 suspended - for the 2020 season after being judged to have produced a poor pitch for the Championship title decider against Essex has created a number of questions. The Cricketer attempts to answer some of the asks what is next for a process which is already passed its 50th day.

Why has it taken so long?

Somerset and Essex's clash at Taunton ended in a draw on September 26, leading to the visitors being crowned champions for the 2019 campaign. In doing so they became the first side to do the Division One-T20 Blast double.

Fifty-three days on from the champagne corks being popped, a final judgement on the state of the surface for the rain-affected game has been revealed. We're now closer to the New Year than the game in question.

When Warwickshire, Hampshire and Kent were docked points for similar offences during the 2011 season they had to wait just a few days for their punishment to be confirmed - though granted they were during the crux of the season.

Phil Whitticase was the ECB's Cricket Liaison Officer for the match and responsible for judging whether the pitch allowed for an even contest between bat and ball. 

The former Leicestershire man rated the surface, taking into account the conditions and climate, and forwarded his findings on to ECB Cricket Operations.

To assist with the report the CLO speaks with the home team captain and coach, in this case, Somerset's Tom Abell and Jason Kerr, the groundsman who at the time was Hampshire-bound Simon Lee, umpires Rob Bailey and Alex Wharf as well as the captain and coach of the visiting team, Ryan ten Doeschate and Anthony McGrath. Other participating players can also be questioned

Speaking following his move from Essex to Sussex, Ravi Bopara told The Cricketer of the pitch: "We knew it was going to be a ridiculous wicket. But they had nothing to lose. I said they had nothing to lose: ‘It will be a tough wicket.’ They picked three spinners. Good luck. It was tricky."

The ECB's Pitch Regulations state that, coupled with a final judgement on the quality of the pitch which can range between very good to unfit, any report must be submitted as soon as possible after the climax to the game. 

Having found the conditions to be "poor" - a judgement Somerset accepted - the club challenged the allegation that it was the best quality pitch they were able to prepare. This led to a hearing with the Cricket Discipline Committee Disciplinary Panel at Lord's on Monday when evidence was submitted by the Championship runners-up objecting to the ruling, extending the process further.

The charge was upheld, leading to confirmation of the reprimand.

^{Spin dominated at Taunton with Simon Harmer taking five wickets}

Why will the punishment take effect in 2020?

Somerset are set to begin the 2020 campaign on -12 points, a major blow to their hopes of going one better next season and claiming their first Championship title before a run-up has even been marked out.

It is currently unclear why the Cidermen's penalty has been enforced for next term, rather than imposed for the season in which the breach occurred.

What is certain however is the panel, comprising of Tim O’Gorman, Alan Wadey and Claire Taylor, would have had scope to impose the punishment for the 2019 season. There is no protocol which dictates when such a punishment can be enforced. In short, it is at the discretion of the panel.

Therefore, had Somerset won the title during the final game they could have been stripped of the Championship more than 50 days after lifting their maiden crown.

Given that Somerset finished nine points adrift of Essex and 41 ahead of third-place Hampshire last season, a deduction would have made little difference to the final outcome. 

Why was the pitch deemed "poor"?

Despite lengthy spells of rain and a wet outfield ensuring the match was restricted to just 148 overs across the four days, there was still enough play for Whitticase to conclude that the pitch was unsuitable.

The judgement of "poor" is the second-lowest rating a CLO can give, just above "unfit" which is only reserved for pitches what are dangerous.

To be deemed a "poor" surface, there must be "excessive unevenness" and "excessive seam movement" at any stage of the match. Violent turn is not necessary for a surface to fall into this category.

While it is true that the ball did often keep low 17 of the 21 wickets to fall were from spin bowlers. Essex's Sam Cook was the only seamer to have any success, taking four Somerset first-innings wickets. The ball was turning square on day one, with Simon Harmer the chief beneficiary.

It might, therefore, have been more accurate to describe the pitch as "below average", a view which takes into account "occasional" uneven bounce but also "excessive" turn, which was also apparent.

^{Essex were crowned champions after keeping Somerset at bay}

What happens now?

Somerset are yet to officially respond to the ruling as they consider their position. The hashtag #WeAreSomerset accompanied the story regarding the judgement. It was a brief distraction from the flurry of contract extensions which have dominated their off-season.

The club will await the full written reasons, which are due before the end of this week from the CDC, before deciding whether to appeal. They have two weeks in which to do so.

Key to successfully earning a reprieve will be submitting new evidence to the panel. They have already failed once to argue against the charge they did not prepare the best quality pitch possible.

Despite next season's fixture list being due for release next week and the Christmas and New Year period looming further still, there is no definitive timeline regarding this case, which could yet extend into 2020.

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