How should the outfield be maintained, and when is a synthetic outfield acceptable?

Natural turf outfield (Guidance Note 01). Natural turf remains the preferred playing field surface for cricket at all levels. Warm season grasses such as couch and kikuyu are generally preferred. The field should have good turf coverage, be cut short and even with no bare patches, have dangerous holes and undulations fixed, and have no excess clippings. Annual maintenance should include regular mowing, vertical cutting, pest, weed, insect and disease control, soil aeration, irrigation and fertilising.

Irrigation and drainage

• Irrigation is generally designed to apply 10mm across the whole field over an eight hour period.
• Minimum performance: sprinkler CU of 90% or more, DU of 85% or more, and a scheduling coefficient (SC 5%) of 1.3 or less.
• Operate and inspect every sprinkler line at the start and end of the irrigation season, and record and fix faults.
• Inspect drainage systems annually for cracked pipes and pits.

Synthetic outfield. Cricket Australia acknowledges full synthetic fields can give more programming flexibility. Under the AFL and Cricket Australia licensing program, a product must carry the "Approved Synthetic Turf Product" mark, and each installed oval must pass on-site testing after one month or 160 hours of play. It is then certified and must be retested every two years. The program covers outfield products, not synthetic centre pitches.