What is your take on pitch doctoring?

[Prince EWS]

We totally need a devil reacc button btw.

 

[subshakerz]

Preparing pitches that give the home team an advantage is part of cricket, and IMO a good part of it. I not only accept it, I encourage it. If that's what people mean by 'doctoring', then I'm explicitly pro-doctoring.

Preparing pitches that make things too luck-based (particularly relating to the toss) or just too boring are other matters though.

What about pitches designed for draws when a team is ahead in the series, like India did recently?

 

[Xix2565]

The part that should favour the home side is that they grew up playing in those conditions and are used to the typical characteristics of the pitches. If the pitch is doctored to amplify or completely change playing characteristics because it benefits the home team, based upon instructions from the team or board (or even if the curator takes it upon themselves to do so to be fair) that is cheating.

Most people of sound mind would agree, which is why PEWS is siding with the devil, much like he does in politics.

Then that goes back to my previous question about what the norms are though, if things were already pretty extreme for bat or ball in domestic then what happens if the Test pitches are similar? Again, what is normal, who gets to define it because the playing conditions from the ICC don't really suggest that a lot of the moaning over spinning wickets from early in the Test is justified by fans, pundits and players.

 

[TheJediBrah]

What about pitches designed for draws when a team is ahead in the series, like India did recently?

That would be bad, but did it actually happen?

Interested to hear Indian brahs' responses to subshakerz latest accusation

 

[Prince EWS]

What about pitches designed for draws when a team is ahead in the series, like India did recently?

I don't like it, but it's a grey area for sure.

Giving your team an advantage in a match and giving your team an advantage in a series are different things.

No idea how to police my gut reaction though.

 

[Xix2565]

Honestly I have no clue on what the new stadium's standard pitch is like so to say X was doctored or whatever feels like you already had an answer in mind regardless of what would happen. And I think people love using the words 'doctored/manufactured' far too much about what is essentially dirt arranged and watered in different ways around the world.

 

[karan_fromthestands]

What about pitches designed for draws when a team is ahead in the series, like India did recently?

What about Gianna Michaels?

 

[TheJediBrah]

Honestly I have no clue on what the new stadium's standard pitch is like so to say X was doctored or whatever feels like you already had an answer in mind regardless of what would happen. And I think people love using the words 'doctored/manufactured' far too much about what is essentially dirt arranged and watered in different ways around the world.

"Doctored" is definitely an overused term used to describe pitches these days. Every time there's a tour to India you will have casuals call normal Indian pitches "doctored" because they spin a bit.

 

[subshakerz]

That would be bad, but did it actually happen?

Interested to hear Indian brahs' responses to subshakerz latest accusation

I think that was clearly the case in the 4th test. A slow, low wicket to secure India's advantage in the series rather than have a decider.

I also think Pakistan did this in their home series against Australia.

 

[Xix2565]

On the other type of bowling, where does seam movement or extra bounce (consistent) fall then? Because you can prepare wickets that exaggerate these characteristics, and even then most pitches with seam movement early on never really get as much flack, with most people deflecting by saying it's just swing.

 

[Son Of Coco]

And I think people love using the words 'doctored/manufactured' far too much about what is essentially dirt arranged and watered in different ways around the world.

There's a clear difference between regional differences and wickets that play differently from match to match.

 

[Xix2565]

There's a clear difference between regional differences and wickets that play differently from match to match.

This is a meaningless point to my quote. I just said that I don't know enough about the new stadium's pitches to say X behaviour is because of 'doctoring' or within the acceptable range of pitch prep. And it's pretty clear when you hear/don't hear such language.

 

[Burgey]

Surprised to see an Indian fan so heavily into defending the practice tbh.

 

[karan_fromthestands]

Surprised to see an Indian fan so heavily into defending the practice tbh.

Not surprised to see a low-quality post by you.

 

[Burgey]

If you think that’s bad you should see my face

 

[Spark]

What about pitches designed for draws when a team is ahead in the series, like India did recently?

The only reason this is bad is because such pitches are terrible on their own merits.

The only two legitimate reasons to call a pitch bad is because it (a) doesn't provide enough assistance for bowlers or (b) provides so much assistance that any old fool could turn his arm over and get poles because batting is more about luck than skill. Anything in between those two extremes is completely fair game.

EDIT: I forgot toss-dependent pitches. Those are unfair too but that's even more of a gray area because "toss-dependent" is also usually synonymous with "weather-dependent".

 

[karan_fromthestands]

The only reason this is bad is because such pitches are terrible on their own merits.

The only two legitimate reasons to call a pitch bad is because it (a) doesn't provide enough assistance for bowlers or (b) provides so much assistance that any old fool could turn his arm over and get poles because batting is more about luck than skill. Anything in between those two extremes is completely fair game.

This. But I really wouldn't mind a couple pitches in a series that favour the bowlers too much(and one or two that are batsmen-friendly just to create a balance), makes it fascinating to watch.

The luck-factor part is a bit tough to keep out on most bowling-friendly decks though.

 

[NZTailender]

Imo pitches should be created by a neutral country.

Would love to see an Indian pitch for an England vs NZ game

 

[Nintendo]

I firmly believe that most people simply have the wrong idea on what an "unfair advantage" is. For example, a lot of people think square turners give Asian teams a big leg up on touring sides. It's an advantage but nowhere near as much as people think, and the evidence lies in how many times overseas teams have won here on real rank turners because it reduces the skill gap between spinners.

Imo pitches that make the toss too important are the most unfair kind. One that starts off great to bat on but breaks up horribly as soon as late on day 2 ish. This kind of pitch preparation as well as obviously the dead tracks to ensure draws suck.

I was going to say exactly this. India producing bunsens at home recently only lowers the gap between ashwin and jadeja, and some random hack like Kuhnemann.

 

[karan_fromthestands]

I was going to say exactly this. India producing bunsens at home recently only lowers the gap between ashwin and jadeja, and some random hack like Kuhnemann.

That's the greatest DP on CW ever.