Nottinghamshire await pitch verdict

Essex 130 and 215-7, Nottinghamshire 213

Nottinghamshire last night faced an anxious wait to learn if they will be penalised for preparing a sub-standard pitch after an England and Wales Cricket Board inspection panel assessed a batting surface at Trent Bridge which has seen 27 wickets fall in less than two full days' play.

The umpires, Mervyn Kitchen and Barry Dudleston, were obliged to contact Lord's after 15 wickets fell on the opening day, which is mandatory procedure and not necessarily a precursor to disciplinary action. But when Phil Sharpe, the ECB pitch liaison officer in attendance, reported he was "not completely satisfied with the nature of the pitch", this was a cue for Chris Wood, the ECB pitches consultant, to join him yesterday along with another liaison officer, David Hughes.

After watching play until bad light forced an early halt, Sharpe and Hughes then interviewed the umpires, the captains and coaches of both teams and Nottinghamshire's groundsman Steve Birks before considering their verdict, also taking into account Wood's observations. An unfavourable outcome could cost Nottinghamshire eight points if the pitch was considered "poor" or 20 points if it was deemed "unfit for first-class cricket". It seems unlikely the harsher penalty will apply, although the minor one is possible given that Nottinghamshire have "form" in this contentious area.

Three years ago, they received a 10-point penalty, suspended for 12 months, after a three-day finish against Yorkshire. In 1989, they were docked 25 points when a match against Derbyshire had to be stopped and moved to a different pitch.

Judgement is based purely on how the pitch behaves rather than its appearance. This one has been notable for the steep bounce generated by bowlers from the Pavilion End, which Nottinghamshire's left-armer, Greg Smith, has exploited.

Smith has taken eight wickets for 59 runs in the match so far, all from the pavilion end, including the first five to fall when Essex began their second innings yesterday morning.

Five of his victims were caught behind, the other three leg before wicket, which to a certain extent reflected the difficulty posed by deliveries that bounced less than anticipated.