***Official*** Australia in Sri Lanka

[BlazeDragon]

So why doesn't any flat pancakes get any sanctions? Because the modern day batsmen are too smug to complain about it and compensate their inflated averages?

Modern day cricket is pretty much the opposite of previous generations really.

Exactly why we say era should be adjusted when comparing players of different generations.

 

[centurymaker]

2nd Test: South Africa v India at Durban, Dec 26-29, 2010 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo

 

[DriveClub]

I was under the impression that several road pitches have been investigated by the ICC over the past few years. WI, Pakistan, maybe even SL I seem to recall.

As far as I recall the ones to get sanctions were one from WI which was unfit to play due to huge paddles of sand and was dangerous for bowlers to land their feet & one from India(eden garden I think) which was dangerous to play in as the balls were shooting off from lengths and had potential to injure players. No flat pitches get sanctions because 5 days of cricket means more tv revenue for ICC, why would they sanction that? It's all about money after all.

 

[Burgey]

I thought Antigua had been sanctioned for being a twelve lane super highway. Maybe that was just wishful thinking on my part!

 

[GotSpin]

As far as I recall the ones to get sanctions were one from WI which was unfit to play due to huge paddles of sand and was dangerous for bowlers to land their feet & one from India(eden garden I think) which was dangerous to play in as the balls were shooting off from lengths and had potential to injure players. No flat pitches get sanctions because 5 days of cricket means more tv revenue for ICC, why would they sanction that? It's all about money after all.

They have protective equipment for a reason. Toughen up ffs

 

[benchmark00]

**** some people are weirdos.

Noone is saying a five day draw-borefest is good. In fact I'm the first to say it's ****. But on the same token, the pitch in Galle was also not ideal for test cricket.

Having inconsistent bounce, as well as balls breaking the surface from ball one is not a good thing.

The argument of 'it's good for a bit of variation' is also rubbish, because if that was the case why don't we play a couple of tests a year on a foundation of dog ****.

I'm fine with subcontinent wickets spinning a dickload. It's what makes it such a challenge for sides coming from other places. But you don't have to have a pitch breaking up on day one for it to spin alot, let's not forget that.

 

[robelinda]

When was the last ridiculous green seaming pitch in England???

 

[DriveClub]

They have protective equipment for a reason. Toughen up ffs

Can't comment on it because I dunno how dangerous it was, I didn't watch that match

 

[Himannv]

Biased ****ers in the ICC. Why am I not surprised.

 

[miscer]

2nd Test: South Africa v India at Durban, Dec 26-29, 2010 | Cricket Scorecard | ESPN Cricinfo

lmao SO this. how is this track any easier to bat on than the galle one? but wait, it's as green as my lawn and so it's a beauty.

 

[NasserFan207]

**** some people are weirdos.

Noone is saying a five day draw-borefest is good. In fact I'm the first to say it's ****. But on the same token, the pitch in Galle was also not ideal for test cricket.

Having inconsistent bounce, as well as balls breaking the surface from ball one is not a good thing.

The argument of 'it's good for a bit of variation' is also rubbish, because if that was the case why don't we play a couple of tests a year on a foundation of dog ****.

I'm fine with subcontinent wickets spinning a dickload. It's what makes it such a challenge for sides coming from other places. But you don't have to have a pitch breaking up on day one for it to spin alot, let's not forget that.

Mate, no offense, but this is bull****

Why was the pitch in Galle not ideal for test cricket? Because it wasn't a doddle to bat on? Mahela scored a century in the fourth innings ffs

The truth is, people have no idea what a 'bad' pitch is anymore, as the number of featherbeds we've seen over the last decade has thrown everyone off.

Galle was fine. And I've not seen one real argument to say otherwise.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

When was the last ridiculous green seaming pitch in England???

The one Ponting chose to bat on v Pakistan.

 

[Spikey]

Marsh batting at three for some ****ed up reason

 

[Ruckus]

Yeah I prefer pitches where ball's coming onto bat and do subscribe to Bencheh's point of view; that a green pitch which has good pace is more entertaining because even though it's a bowler's deck, there are runs on offer for the batsmen (i.e. everyone gets a chance to exercise their skills). I don't find Tests on pitches like at Galle as entertaining but then, I prefer really aggressive play whether that be with the bat or ball. If some plonker cruises to a run-a-ball double on a road against a good attack, that's as much a 'bad' pitch for mine. There's definitely some art in watching a bloke like Hussey or Jayawardene rein in their games and play outside the V, a pitch like Galle is testing (and revealing of some players) in it's own way. If not ideal, it's still a valid pitch on which to play the game, I reckon.

It wasn't a great all-round cricket wicket but short of it actually being dangerous, not sanction-worthy for mine.

Yep agree with everything you said here.

 

[adub]

Yeah the pitch was far from perfect and I feared it'd make the toss too important when I saw it on Day 1, but it actually remained similar in the way it played throughout the match. If the majority of pitches in the world were like that we'd have a problem but in the interests of pitch variation it's definitely okay to have a pitch like that sometimes, and it's far less of a problem than all the roads we've seen in the last 5-10 years.

That's pretty much why I don't have a problem with the pitch being reported, but I would hate to see any sort of sanction result. In the end a result pitch is better than a road, but the curator shouldn't have shaved it bald and created a day 1 dustbowl either. If a report gives the curator just enough of a nudge to get him to leave a bit more grass on the pitch for day one then that will be perfect. You'll still end up with a result pitch, but a little fairer balance between bat and ball which makes for great cricket.

 

[Andre]

Yeah I prefer pitches where ball's coming onto bat and do subscribe to Bencheh's point of view; that a green pitch which has good pace is more entertaining because even though it's a bowler's deck, there are runs on offer for the batsmen (i.e. everyone gets a chance to exercise their skills). I don't find Tests on pitches like at Galle as entertaining but then, I prefer really aggressive play whether that be with the bat or ball. If some plonker cruises to a run-a-ball double on a road against a good attack, that's as much a 'bad' pitch for mine. There's definitely some art in watching a bloke like Hussey or Jayawardene rein in their games and play outside the V, a pitch like Galle is testing (and revealing of some players) in it's own way. If not ideal, it's still a valid pitch on which to play the game, I reckon.

It wasn't a great all-round cricket wicket but short of it actually being dangerous, not sanction-worthy for mine.

Shock horrow we agree again.

Reckon the only sanction-worthy pitches are the ones where bounce is consistently variable to the extent it become dangerous for a batsman. Excessive sideways movement isn't as issue for mine, inconsistent up and down movement is though.

On day 1 I thought that Galle wicket was going to be a dangerous one later in the match, but the odd ball that shot through the top on day 1 didn't seem to be happening any more frequently later in the match so in the end the pitch's bounce flattered to decieve IMO.

 

[Prince EWS]

Marsh batting at three for some ****ed up reason

Haha wait - didn't Clarke say that Marsh was in contention for the first Test because he was more suited to batting in the lower middle order?

 

[Andre]

Marsh batting at three for some ****ed up reason

Don't mind it to be honest - reckon that there are question marks over Khawaja at the moment and he needs to settle in one spot for a few matches to get a proper gauge on if he is up to it full-time yet.

Marsh for Ponting a direct swap, and you'd imagine potentially a direct swap back. Allows Khawaja some time to settle is the way I read it.

That said, I reckon Marsh will made a hundred on debut. Just got a feeling.

 

[Himannv]

I reckon the worst thing is that the next two tests are probably going to be played on roads which will play the same way all five days without a hint of wear and tear. Gameplan for the teams: Win the toss and bat forever.

I dont see think any of the curators and the staff there will take any sort of risks with it now that Galle has come under scrutiny. Shame that such a promising series would come to this sort of end.

 

[SamSawnoff]

If Pitches that turn on day one are not allowed than what about pitches like Centurion or Trent bridge which don't turn at all but give a big advantage to the seamers?

And as for the toss point, that is absolute rubbish. This isn't even close to being the worst match influenced by the toss in this year,let alone being anything special. And there is no way anything can be done about that in many cases with the weather, though only extreme extreme issues should be looked at. This wasn't even close, and Broad is at it again .

I can't see why a pitch that wasn't at all dangerous can be reported just because some of the batsmen found it difficult to bat on. I It made for a great match.

They should report some of the truly crap shots played. Punter pulling in the second innings must have been worth a good talking to at least and Herath should be sanctioned the way he goes about it.