Test cricket shouldn't be so easy for batsmen

[Sir Alex]

Ok everyone is complaining pitch is not good. But how can it be addressed? Grow grass on it? Surely that is not the way to go about if home advantage is to be applied. Then what else can be done? Flat tracks like these or raging dustbowls. Given the fact that the latter produces gritty and result oriented cricket, I prefer it.

 

[Sanz]

You got all that from the below post?

From that post and from the comments in the official thread.

He talked about the current series, noting that it was what he was watching at the moment. Reading that, it sounds like he's an Indian fan anyway.

Yes and I find the notion that Indian batsmen didn't have to work for their runs and that was largely because of the pitch is really silly. That India ended up 417/2 on Day 1 was because of Sehwag's superb batting, some horrible bowling by SL bowlers and due to easy conditions.

The argument that 'First 3 batsmen shouldn't make 100s' is even worse.

Not to forget the fact that the guy then goes on to give an example of Boycott (of all the great batsmen) who played some of the super bores of all time especially against India.

 

[Burgey]

As I mentioned in the official tour thread, for me it's not that these scores happen at all, it's because, world-wide it's happening so often with the general flattening out of the pitches.

I'd just like a bit of variety around the traps, rather than so many flat pitches being prepared to (seemingly) ensure matches get to day 5.

 

[Sanz]

Last time a test match was played @ Kanpur, it lasted 3 days and the pitch maker was criticized for preparing a so called dustbowl.

 

[Burgey]

Not sure if your comment is directed at mine or not mate, but as I noted in the tour thread, I haven't seen this game at all, nor are my comments there or here directed specifically at this match or indeed series.

I see that a trend has developed whereby many pitches around the world are flattened out, and personally I don't think it's good for cricket in general. If the trend in world cricket was an over-abundance of raging green tops or raging turners I'd pretty much feel the same way.

 

[Top_Cat]

When the complaint comes only when the matches are played in India/(and in Pakistan), it has to be said

Come on man, this is bollocks. Have a look at all the carping on the forum every year the Adelaide Test rolls around despite the fact Adelaide has been a road ever since, well, Adelaide Oval was built. Same with Bellerive and, recently, Perth. It's not limited to when matches are played in India/Pakistan at all.

 

[Uppercut]

Antigua the worst offender itbt.

 

[zaremba]

When the complaint comes only when the matches are played in India/(and in Pakistan), it has to be said.

I'm sorry mate but this is rubbish. Pitches everywhere are lifeless and we bitch about the fact all the time. It doesn't matter where they are, we hate them equally

 

[Sanz]

Come on man, this is bollocks. Have a look at all the carping on the forum every year the Adelaide Test rolls around despite the fact Adelaide has been a road ever since, well, Adelaide Oval was built. Same with Bellerive and, recently, Perth. It's not limited to when matches are played in India/Pakistan at all.

I'm sorry mate but this is rubbish. Pitches everywhere are lifeless and we bitch about the fact all the time. It doesn't matter where they are, we hate them equally

I don't believe makers of Adelaide Pitch have been accused of killing Test cricket nor are the runs scored by batsmen on Adelaide as 'unworthy'.

I don't have a problem with comments like 'pitch is flat' , what is annoying is consistently making the same point over and over again. It is not easy to prepare a pitch in the conditions we have in Kanpur, considering how it ended last time, I dont blame anyone for making a safe pitch.

 

[Burgey]

The runs scored at Adelaide have had an * next to them for years, especially by the Australian selectors when assessing potential test candidates.

 

[Top_Cat]

The runs scored at Adelaide have had an * next to them for years, especially by the Australian selectors when assessing potential test candidates.

Same with wickets in Brisbane. Yet, if you're a spinner (whether you turn the ball or not) and you take a few wickets on the SCG, boom, Test spot.

</dig at NSW>

EDIT: The * next to batter's names from Adelaide have generally been fair enough as it and Adelaide grade don't exactly breed batters with the skillset to play on anything less than absolute belters. Lehmann the exception, was unfairly ignored for years before he eventually got a Test spot.

 

[The Sean]

Yet, if you play for NSW, boom, Test spot.

Fixed.

 

[Burgey]

Same with wickets in Brisbane. Yet, if you're a spinner (whether you turn the ball or not) and you take a few wickets on the SCG, boom, Test spot.

</dig at NSW>

EDIT: The * next to batter's names from Adelaide have generally been fair enough as it and Adelaide grade don't exactly breed batters with the skillset to play on anything less than absolute belters. Lehmann the exception, was unfairly ignored for years before he eventually got a Test spot.

This.

 

[R_D]

Fixed.

 

[honestbharani]

This is a phenomenon across all pitches in all countries today. It is not as if the subcontinent only has to take blame. Subcontinent teams have batsmen who are brilliant in home conditions and hence there will be more propensity for higher scores and hence draws in such grounds. And I think such high scoring draws mostly happen between India-Pakistan-Sri lanka. I don't see such tame draws being a regularity in matches involving other teams much.

That is probably because our batting is equally good, esp. against spinners and our bowling equally mediocre..


The batters of subcontinent play spin best and hence our best bowlers, mostly spinners, are nullified and hence so many draws.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Question: do you think that Australian decks have managed to escape scrutiny because of McGrath and Warne?

 

[Sanz]

Question: do you think that Australian decks have managed to escape scrutiny because of McGrath and Warne?

And also because of the cricket they play. IMO Australia score their runs faster and have enough time to bowl the opposition out and then they had Mcgrath and Warne.

 

[Jono]

Runs haven't been easy for New Zealand.

They weren't easy for Pakistan.

They were definitely not easy for Sri Lanka.

Don't seem to be easy for the West Indies as well.

India have a top 4 who average over 50, so you'd expect them to score some runs every now and again.

Australia are a good batting team playing against a young and at times undisciplined bowling line-up.

Test cricket is doing all right.

 

[nightprowler10]

Pretty typical of Beck to victimize himself, isn't it?

 

[Black_Warrior]

This is a phenomenon across all pitches in all countries today. It is not as if the subcontinent only has to take blame. Subcontinent teams have batsmen who are brilliant in home conditions and hence there will be more propensity for higher scores and hence draws in such grounds. And I think such high scoring draws mostly happen between India-Pakistan-Sri lanka. I don't see such tame draws being a regularity in matches involving other teams much.

That might be one way of looking at it, but I for one have a different perspective. I wont call a performance brilliant if it was not test against difficult conditions. Pakistan notches up 400 plus scores at home because the conditions are too easy for batting. The same "brilliant" batsmen show they true colours overseas.
I wont say the same about India because their batsmen have scored runs in Australia, England, New Zealand etc. I am not sure about the second test match as I havent seen it but I dont think many people will disagree that the first test match pitch was hardly a testing one for batsmen