The quality of test wickets throughout the world is threatening the survival of the game. An overreaction? Maybe, but only because there are other more immediate forces conspiring to eradicate the ultimate test of cricketing skill.
Lifeless, homogenised wickets have removed integral facets of the game’s nuance and appeal – possibly forever.
This dawned on me most recently watching Mitchell Johnson and Doug Bollinger toil against a poor Pakistan in close to the most seam-bowler friendly conditions in the world. The reality is that both left arm quicks have become so used to bland drop-in pitches that offer little in the way of swing or seam that they have become reduced to clichéd ‘back-of-a-length’ and ‘hit-the-deck-hard’ bowlers.
As first Shane Watson and then England showed against the same opposition, pitching the ball up and allowing it to swing both ways is a devastating forgotten weapon.
England is unfortunately the exception that proves the rule.
Here, natural variations of climate, altitude and topography ensure test cricket is still being played on test quality pitches. Richie Benaud commented recently about the need for test matches to be an even balance between bat and ball.
He wrote this against the backdrop of India and Sri Lanka’s run-fest in Colombo which did as much for the advancement of 20 20 as the formation of the IPL. Following the game even The Little Master was moved to acknowledge his record 48th test hundred was achieved on an unsporting deck.
Unfortunately Tendulkar’s view was not shared byf Anurudda Polonowita, Sri Lanka’s national curator. He instead chose to blame two poor bowling attacks for the 5-day bore draw. The assumption promoted by Polonowita, and others, is that spectators are drawn to test cricket because of batsmen and because of runs.
I think this is wholly incorrect and the plummeting attendance figures worldwide for the game’s longest-format are testament to that fact. Spectators pay for a contest, to become emotionally involved in a battle between bat and ball.
Witness the importance of The Ashes or the anticipation of a trip to the Caribbean in the 1980s and 1990s. These are and were not on the promise of batting masterclasses.
Worryingly, Australia is not immune.
The prevalence of drop-in wickets and multifunctional sports arenas is negating the natural variety of localised conditions. The pace is being continually sapped from the WACA, Adelaide has become a bowler’s graveyard and any life left in the MCG is the result of poor preparation, not the opposite. I’m not advocating for three-day test matches or dangerous, under-prepared tracks, simply a genuine opportunity to test a variety of skills – batting and bowling – based on naturally occurring local variations.
Rumours of the death of test cricket have a habit of being greatly exaggerated.
Whether prompted by an English home series defeat, the advent of World Series, or match fixing. This current health-scare however is different. Test match cricket is this time under threat from itself.
philip
Guest
Good point, you may be right. But I was thinking test cricket is under threat from lack of quality bowlers altogether; batters who know how to defend too well; Australia being too good for anyone else (though over bearingly dull); and all that professional trained behaviour that kills off character. The Australian team under Mark Taylor started the decline with all that pro-fielding discipline and its been downhill from there. There is no doubt that bowlers aint what they used to be. I grew up in the 80's and those guys could bowl, especially the Windies. And why do Australia never get defeated at home anymore? Yes the pitches here are pathetically 'professional' and were made for Glenn McGrath and his God aweful routine of dull line and length. Predict a very dull series of victories for Aus this year (again). The only good test series left in the world are the Ashes (but only in England, not here) and maybe when Aus tours India. Everything else is now rubbish.
OhMyGodTheChips
Roar Rookie
I would say the WACA is closest to the best batting wicket in Australia. It used to be notorious for cracking up too early but the wicket has since been holding together, offers no purchase for spinners and little movement for seamers and in general has been a poor hunting ground for Australia in recent memory. Last summers test saw the pitch wear significantly in comparison to SA chasing 400+ in the previous. Hobart is a flat wicket and Ponting scored 200 there just last summer. Generally a good five day wicket but is too pro-batsmen in recent times. Your other assessments are pretty spot on.
OhMyGodTheChips
Roar Rookie
I agree with certain aspects regarding pitches, particularly in the sub-continent. The MCG is the only drop in wicket, so there is no overuse of a drop in wicket as you are saying. The issue is that no grass is being left on the wicket to assist in a tougher first day for batsmen. But as we saw in the last Australian summer, there was one draw in six test matches which is hardly representative of boring cricket. Australia for the last 15 years have generally played win or lose test cricket. Rather I think the association of boring would be with the players themselves and there is far less to like about the current Australian team to one three or four years ago, where the entire line-up were virtually superstars. Bollinger & Johnson's poor showing in the recent Pakistan series is lamented by a terrible coach and selection committee. Bollinger is a solid front runner that while he didn't bowl as well as he should have, he was nowhere near as terrible as Johnson. Besides that, the real issue in that series was the batting, sub-par scores from Australia in virtually all innings.
Jonathan Howcroft
Roar Rookie
Agreed Ian. It's interesting isn't it that batting averages are through the roof in recent years with numerous players averaging close to or over 50 yet actual batting technique arguably becoming poorer. It looks like we're in a generation of flat track bullies.
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
The problem is not just Test cricket - it'swhat the fixed pitches in one day and T20 has done to the quality of batting. Once the conditions get at all challenging, modern batsmen go to water ... just look at the current matches played in England. Pakistan dismissed for 148. Australia dismissed for 88. Pakistan dismissed for 80 and 72.
Midfielder
Guest
Cricket has only one team that sells in the market place... The National team... it is over sold ... is played over three different types of games 20 20 ODI and Tests... in a year maybe 40 matches ... compare this to RU Football & RL ... Football maybe 9 matches a year plus major tournaments... RL maybe 6 at best...at this level you can watch.... aside from the increased matches the football RU & RL matches only take a coupe of hours a ODI takes 10 hours a test match up to five days... 20 20 may save cricket in Australia ... that is if it can stand the long test like will it get tiresome in its tactical approach of just swing... Now throw in sub standard pitches and HHHHHHHHHHHHmmmmmmmmmm not sure but adjustment is needed ...
Warren
Guest
Great article Jonathan and I am in agreement. Test cricket is about a battle of wills as well as technique and should ideally have nuances and subtle changes, session by session or day by day. We seldom see this these days. A small gripe, and I know I'm a pedant, but the wickets are the three wooden poles at each end with the bails on... Cheers.
Elliot Lodge
Roar Pro
Great article mate, I had been meaning to write one on this subject myself. I grew up thrilled by the bowler friendly conditions that New Zealand produced ten years ago, but even NZ are producing flat tracks at the moment. Napier and Hamilton have both turned into roads and the likes of the university oval and even the basin reserve continue to head that way. It always frustrated me watching the dominant australian teams of 2000-2007ish play at home, because if the aussies won the toss, they would always bat and very rarely lose. For sure, the had a great top order but on their home decks they were rarely challenged. And now the subcontinant is more batting dominated than I can ever remember. Thankfully the poms have produced some decks with a bit of life in them this summer. for me the ideal balance of a test match folds out like this: - first innings: curator leaves some grass on the pitch, teams have to battle to grind out respectable 280-300 - second innings: pitch still offers something for the quicks on day 2 and 3, but with disciplined batting, runs can be made. par score 350 - third innings: late day 3, day 4, spinners come into the game, but still runs to be made. par score 280 - fourth innings: spinners given plenty of help, cracks open up for the quicks. par score 230 for mine, we want to strive for the toss to have minimal impact on the outcome. Teams need to be happy to rip into the opposition on the first morning. The ideal pitch should make it difficult for the first and last innings. I'm not suggesting they curate minefields, although they occassional one wouldnt hurt.
Jonathan Howcroft
Roar Rookie
I tried to steer away from even acknowledging that scenario, although I fear you're correct. But here's the paradox - boring cricket = poor attendance, low public interest and ultimately lower advertising revenue.
Tony
Guest
They call them CEO pitches. Or, more pointedly, Channel Nine pitches. CricAussie and "the official broadcaster" had kittens when the 1997 Perth Test against the Windies only lasted three days on a minefield. Five days is the required outcome for a TV station with advertising budgets to allocate. Perth Test, 1997.
sheek
Guest
For me, I recall with nostalgic delight the Aussie pitches from the mid-70s. Brisbane Gabba - Bounce & pace fairly consistent throughout. Good batsmen will get runs. Spinners coming into it on final (5th) day. Perth WACA - Fastest pitch in Australia, & true throughout. Pacemen required to keep their heads. Batsmen can capitalise on too short bowling. Best for a leggie on final two days. Adelaide AOval - First session or two could be tricky for batting side, then leveling out to a batsman's paradise. Bowlers must work hard. Spinners come in on 4th & 5th days. Melbourne MCG - Generally toughest ground to make runs. Slowish pitch compared to others. Long boundaries in all directions. Something there for everyone however. Sydney SCG - Probably best allround pitch, offering a good contest throughout. Also most helpful to spinners providing they were good enough. Hobart TCA - No tests here at the time. From memory was similar to MCG. The shield sides reflected the wonderful Aussie pitches they played on. In the mid-70s there weren't many true great allrounders, Gus Gilmour being the best. But there were plenty of guys, say 2-3 per team who could either bat well & bowl okay, or the reverse. Guys like G.Chappell & Carlson (Qld), Gilmour, O'Keeffe, Colley, Walters (NSW), Bright, Walker, Laughlin (Vic), Hammond, Jenner, Cosier (SA), Inverarity, Brayshaw, Watson, Mann, Yardley (WA). Each team had one premier batsman, plus a couple of other good ones, usually a keeper-batsman, & a quality frontline of 4 bowlers with at least one spinner. In the spin department, there was an excellent mix of offies, leggies & left-armers. Around the world, NZ pitches were low, slow & uneven (bounce); Windies tracks were usually batsmen's paradises or occasional every-whichways; England pitches offered good batting & good swing bowling: SA's pitches favoured seam & swing; while the Asia's tracks were dusty turners favouring spinners. This of course, is a generalisation.
sheek
Guest
Yeah Vinay, But as the author & other posters are suggesting, the classic novel (test cricket) is being replaced & destroyed by the trashy comic (incompetent/short-sighted/greedy administrators)!
Jonathan Howcroft
Roar Rookie
Brett - I have to disagree with you about Australian wickets mate. The WACA is neither a fast-track nor anywhere near its best. And with Adelaide there's a difference between a flat track which it always has been and a road which it has become. I guess my specific Australian question is how many Ashes squads will be picked specifically for the ground? Answer, possibly a second spinner (depending on the Smith / Hauritz situation) at Sydney only. I would love there to be more localised variations - such as picking a genuine quick at Perth simply to frighten the opposition or for Brisbane and Melbourne to offer something consistently ground-specific for the side to prepare for. Perhaps it's because of the volume of cricket across the various formats but it feels as though curators are preparing pitches by numbers, resulting in pretty up-and-down cricket.
Brett McKay
Guest
Jonathan, apart from Melbourne, exactly how prevelant are drop-in wickets around the world?? Also, I think your thoughts on the Australian decks are based on 5 year-old assertions: "The pace is being continually sapped from the WACA, Adelaide has become a bowler’s graveyard and any life left in the MCG is the result of poor preparation, not the opposite." The WACA in the last two seasons has returned to its fast-track best, Adelaide hasn't "become a bowler’s graveyard" at all, it's always been that way, and Melbourne is starting to rival Perth as the fastest track in the country due to the advancements they've made in how they prepare the drop-in wicket. I don't disagree with your notion about lifeless pitches, and their affect on test cricket, but I don't believe the local wickets are anywhere near as bland as they were 5-7 years ago, and they're certainly well in front of the subcontinental tracks life-wise...
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Jonathan,there is always something to excite me about cricket,especially Tests,Lillee versus Richards at the MCG. Holding v Chapelli at the SCG.Laxman at Kolkata,Aame over the last 18 months. Kemar Roach and Sharma to Ponting. Pietersen against the spinners in India after the Mumbai bombings. Samaraweera injured in Pakistan to terrorists and making a comeback. Johnson to Smith,breaking his arm and Smith coming out to bat with a broken arm. Bob Massie at Lords was amazing. Cricket has no many narratives and sub plots. It is like reading the same book except the ending is never the same.
Jonathan Howcroft
Roar Rookie
Thanks Vinay - Quick question, following my own train of thought. When was the last time you were excited about a contest because of a side's specific skills at a particular venue? For example, watching Lillee and Thomson in Perth, Warne and Macgill in tandem at Sydney or the great swing / seam bowlers like Alderman, Reiffel and McGrath on English greentops? You're right that scheduling plays a big part but with the poor standard of wickets around the world bowling is becoming a means to an end to serve up runs.
Jonathan Howcroft
Roar Rookie
Lolly - Great point about Pakistan's bowling. However, the point I was making was more about how English wickets allow that particular type of bowling to flourish - and that being a novelty. Wickets in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, West Indies are now so lifeless that any local variation has almost been removed from the game. The examples of Johnson and Bollinger show how conditioned they are to bowling a certain way as most of their cricket is played in Australian 'drop-in' conditions with Kookaburra balls.
Jonathan Howcroft
Roar Rookie
VC - Thanks, and I agree with you about scheduling. I could easily have strayed into that territory but 500 words is not much to work with! The ECB has really dropped the ball this year with a month's break in the international summer to allow for domestic T20 - and don't get me started on admission prices...
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Jonathan,as Viscount points out scheduling is a big factor. Cricket is given its context by the pitch and how teams adapt. The roads are good only for those handicapped with poor technique and emboldened by protective armour.Cricket has a habit of shooting itself in the foot. But if they don't get he pitches right then it will be shooting themselves in the head.
Lolly
Guest
Bolly and MJ were rubbish, but that might have been lack of match practise for starters. More than 10 overs each in a 2 day tour game might have got them (at least the Rug) bowling a bit smarter. In MJ's case, there is always the chance it's just plain poor bowling. The reason he likes to 'mix it up' is because he has no option. I don't think he is a good example to use as the Pakistan seamers have been brought up on dead pitches and they sure as hell know how to use decent bowling conditions.