'Official' Pakistan in West Indies

[Cevno]

or has large variable bounce. It's weird though that it only has affected the spinners.

Don't see anything wrong with variable bounce unless it is dangerous.
Specially in the second innings of matches, like a bit of variable bounce.

 

[TumTum]

Don't see anything wrong with variable bounce unless it is dangerous.
Specially in the second innings of matches, like a bit of variable bounce.

Yeah I guess a bit is ok, not where a ball lands on a good length and basically rolls or a ball which lands on a good length and bounces stomach high suddenly (Sarwan dismissal).

 

[honestbharani]

There is a difference between a dangerous pitch and a bad pitch too IMO.

FTR there are many deliveries of spinner that have kicked up extraordinarily. Secondly what about the extremely low bounce in just about every other over where the ball does not even rise a foot above the ground after pitching. Is that not a bad pitch??? Not dangerous but is it not bad???

I am actually all for having pitches that really test the batsmen but at least they can have consistent bounce???? Not when you have deliveries coming in that are barely above ankle height

Handling inconsistent bounce has ALWAYS been one of the challenges for any batsman, in any era.. Why should this particular one be exempt?

 

[salman85]

I just read this on cricinfo :

Among batting pairs who have aggregated at least 2000 runs in away/neutral Tests, Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan have the highest average of 68.43 followed by Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman, who average 60.30. In home Tests (minimum 2000 runs aggregate), Jack Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe average the highest (93.04) followed by Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting (81.45).

I had no idea about this.Kind of shows how pivotal these two are to our middle order.

 

[Agent Nationaux]

I agree with Teja, the pitch may have inconsistent bounce, and make it difficult for the batsmen, but I am loving it. Great contest that really tests the batsmen, and its nice to see the bowlers (especially the spinners) getting the advantage for a change. I also agree with Cevno, that if you are good enough like Sehwag then you wouldn't have any problems on this pitch.

 

[GotSpin]

I don't think even the Indian batsmen (who are easily the best players of spin in the world IMO) would find it at all easy to negotiate deliveries that barely rise above ankle height. The issue is not so much with the pace or the spin that the wicket is taking it is just that the bounce is extremely inconsistent.

I do get the feeling that you and Spark are probably following this on cricinfo. Watching it live on TV would give you a different idea.

Of course the Pak and WI line-ups are incompetent ****s with dodgy techniques but that still does not eliminate the fact that the pitch has extremely variable bounce and is a bad pitch.

Pak played last year in England and got skittled out for less than 80 twice in the same match. Countless times Pak batsmen get out for a low score doesn't mean that the pitch is bad. This time around it really is because the bounce is extremely erratic.

No I've been watching this on the internet actually.

I don't see a problem with erratic and inconsistent bounce. If they actually played forward to the ball it wouldn't be such a problem. If you're not good enough to do so enjoy the walk back to the pavilion.

Batsmen have it too easy. It's not like deliveries are threatening to shoot up and hit them in the chin.

 

[smash84]

That was hardly spitting bounce ,TBH.

It was more the turn that was troubling the batsman in those than bounce.

There is no clear really worn out rough area on this pitch from which the ball is bouncing to shoulder height sometimes and hitting the batsman's body.

Even if there had been ,i don't see anything wrong with it.

As you mention earlier that we can agree to disagree. IMO a bad pitch is not only the one which has the potential to get a batsman injured.

Handling inconsistent bounce has ALWAYS been one of the challenges for any batsman, in any era.. Why should this particular one be exempt?

Hmmm.............not so sure about the ALWAYS part. The pitches since the 80s generally have had fairly consistent bounce peppered with a few that have had inconsistent bounce. It is not that every Ashed is played on pitches with inconsistent bounce. I have seen few pitches like this. Which is NOT to say that such or worse pitches don't exist but have certainly not been the norm. Would be happy to be proven otherwise though.

 

[smash84]

.

Batsmen have it too easy. It's not like deliveries are threatening to shoot up and hit them in the chin.

Fair enough then. I would say we disagree on what we call a bad pitch.

 

[honestbharani]

As you mention earlier that we can agree to disagree. IMO a bad pitch is not only the one which has the potential to get a batsman injured.



Hmmm.............not so sure about the ALWAYS part. The pitches since the 80s generally have had fairly consistent bounce peppered with a few that have had inconsistent bounce. It is not that every Ashed is played on pitches with inconsistent bounce. I have seen few pitches like this. Which is NOT to say that such or worse pitches don't exist but have certainly not been the norm. Would be happy to be proven otherwise though.

which 80s are you talking about? There was always inconsistent bounce in the track in Chepauk alone around that time.. As long as it is not reaching dangerous proportions, inconsistent bounce is one of the truest tests of the skill of a batsman..

 

[GotSpin]

In fact, I'd almost argue that since no pitch can really hurt batsmen anymore due to such an improvement in protective equipment there exists no pitches that are actually 'bad' when they favour the bowlers.

Shouldn't roll the pitches between innings either. Let the bastards toil it out

 

[smash84]

which 80s are you talking about? There was always inconsistent bounce in the track in Chepauk alone around that time.. As long as it is not reaching dangerous proportions, inconsistent bounce is one of the truest tests of the skill of a batsman..

All the major Pakistani stadiums didn't have inconsistent bounce from what I recall in the 80s and from what I have read. Not too many of those in England and Australia either. At least that is what I gauge from reading about that era.

Didn't know that all the Indian grounds had inconsistent bounce during the 80s. Most were roads I thought except for the occasional raging turners like Bangalore 87

 

[smash84]

Shouldn't roll the pitches between innings either. Let the bastards toil it out

Wouldn't mind that at all tbh

 

[Howe_zat]

Now this is a good pitch.

 

[Spark]

Amla ,Kallis and Dravid(though he has to go back and forth and plays on the front foot too) the only real ones who can play on the backfoot on such a pitch with balls keeping low and turning.

You need real quick hands,excellent judgement of length plus early reading of the spin on the ball to do so.

It's a rare skill, which is why most good players of spin use their feet more.

 

[Daemon]

Now this is a good pitch.

They still managed to draw the game after scoring a grand total of 52 runs

 

[Howe_zat]

They still managed to draw the game after scoring a grand total of 52 runs

Haha, yeah. It was rained off after the first two days.

I like that the only bowling change came in the 4th innings.

Another highlight: When Northants were all out for 12, two batsmen were out stumped.

 

[Howe_zat]

Jimmy Adams on Sky right now saying that this pitch is set to have nothing whatsoever for the bowlers. Might be tempted to watch Notts v Sussex on the other side at this rate.

OK never mind then.

 

[TumTum]

 

[Spark]

May well go down as "most hilariously gargantuan misreading of a pitch in history"

 

[honestbharani]

Haha, yeah. It was rained off after the first two days.

I like that the only bowling change came in the 4th innings.

Another highlight: When Northants were all out for 12, two batsmen were out stumped.

Jessop, WAG.. One of the reasons I love all these drafts we had was I got to know about players like him.. 20s in both innings in a game when it was a struggle for the team to get to 20..