At times like these I go to my happy place. The destruction of the Australia side in the UAE has forced me to cast my mind back to a time where we dealt the Pakistanis a true thumping.
In 2005 at the SCG, Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill ripped through the tourists with 13 wickets between them.
Danish Kaneria provided the only thorn in the Aussie’s side as he took 8 of the 11 Australia wickets that fell.
Yet these days the pitch of the Sydney Cricket Ground offers a lot less by way of spin. Could this be an attributing factor to our travelling woes?
The SCG used to be Australia’s best spinning pitch. It was a great surface that had something for the batsmen for the first part of the match, but favoured the spinners come the final sessions. Cracks, dust and footmarks made it Warne’s favourite place in Oz to rip those leggies, and one of the few grounds where Australia used to sport two genuine spinners.
These days, however, the conditions seem to have taken a bit of a turn (pun most definitely intended).
In the last four Test matches played at the SCG, only 22 wickets have been chalked up to spinners (for those playing at home, less than 2 wickets per innings), 7 of which were nabbed by the touring Rangana Herath back in 2013. For what used to be the venue where the spinners prospered, this is slim pickings. The incumbent Nathan Lyon only has 6 scalps from three Tests at the venue.
One of Australia’s greatest challenges in their travels abroad is the lack of a spinner able to extract all that a wearing pitch has to offer. We do tend to be too quick and unfair to judge our spinners against the image of Warne, but at the bones of it, every nation’s top spinner is expected to do the ‘fourth innings job’.
As Nathan Lyon is no doubt placed in the crosshairs of media, selectors, and perhaps even teammates, Cricket Australia need to realise that we’ve severely underdone our spinners. There aren’t too many pitches that really have a lot to offer them.
Cricket Australia announced earlier this year that they were planning on importing Indian soil in order to replicate the conditions the Australians faced when they got belted four–zip. While it’s a compelling thought, it seems like a bit of overkill. There’s no need to get too fruity; we just need a nice turner.
Now I’m not a horticulturist. I know that roses are red, violets are blue, and that for some reason faeces help plants grow. I don’t understand the mechanics of cultivating a pitch, or the variations required at a base level to change a deck from a seamer to a spinner (besides the visible differences). Thankfully, I’m not the one in charge, and Cricket Australia need to look to develop exactly that at one venue, and what better than our cracking old SCG?
It’s an understandable evolution, the nations play to their strengths and cultivate wickets which are easier to produce in their country, at the same time making it challenging for touring nations. Cricket Australia may be concerned about offering a deck which hands the advantage to the touring side. That is the danger if we do.
On the other side, what are the risks if we don’t? Well we haven’t won a Test on the subcontinent since Galle in 2011. How long will it be until win we another?
Our return to the number one Test ranking this year was fleeting, and if we want to regain that fierce domination of the early 2000s, we need to develop wicket-taking spinners. So give them a pitch to call home.
MJ
Guest
Great article, think it's a damn good idea. If we want to be world #1, then we need to think about winning in India and UAE.
Jarvin
Guest
Not sure about Pujara being the best example of a deplorable Ranji batsman though. Guy had poor tours of NZl and England agreed but he also averaged 44 against Steyn, Morkel and Philander on the high veldt. Need to see his performance over a longer period to judge him properly.
Gareth Kidd
Roar Guru
Have a look at the batting stats out of Ranji trophy. Plenty of deplorable batsmen with career averages in excess of 50. Pujara is the best example, and he failed miserably over there. And they really don't do well in England. Last time they surprised the Brits to take the first, then got spanked in the next two.
Warnie's Mum
Guest
India have done well in England on many occasions so Ranji trophy pitches can't be the main issue. More like the come to the end of the road for their great batting lineup.
Gareth Kidd
Roar Guru
Couldn't agree more. That's why India struggled in England because the majority of their Ranji trophy surfaces are roads. Still, we don't have a traditional spinning wicket, so we need to expose them to that test early too.
Trev
Roar Rookie
It frustrated me last year when CA said they'll be flatten out the Shield wickets to suit the batsmen and now they announce their importing soil from India to replicate spinning wickets in the nets? How about encouraging lively Shield wickets which offer something for the bowlers and rewarding the batsmen who score runs on the lively wickets with Test selection? You'll learn nothing about a batsmen when all he sees is roads,
Dannniii
Guest
Mabye the problem is Australia dont have a quality spinner. You cant compare the likes of shane warne to nathan lyon at all.
Dean
Guest
Have a state tournament on a bunch fo dustbowls. What would be the reasoning behind this? Put on the most awful display of cricket possible just in case the fans weren't out of favour enough with the long game. The couple of dozen professional cricketers in the country just need to get into the nets with some half decent spin bowlers and take some time off the medium pace bowling machines.
Pope Paul VII
Guest
Well MacGill spun it. It's not the spinning pitches or lack there of, it's what's between the ears. Against spin for example Hayden practiced like a lunatic for the perfect plan. Ponting and Gilchrist had their ups and downs. As Dean points out hardly anyone plays on the SCG often enough for it to be a factor. As it was the spinning SCG was a pure accident.
Craig Watson
Guest
I like Gremlins line of thinking outside the square. You are alluding to outback outback type pitches are you? Dusty and as dry as the drover's dog. So what do we have an out of season tournament on these pitches. What is your idea?
Gareth Kidd
Roar Guru
I'm sorry but that makes no sense. How can they face good spin bowlers, and prepare for overseas conditions without pitches to encourage it. Also, scg spun well into the 2000s.
Gareth Kidd
Roar Guru
Problem is most IPL decks are hard and flat to provide lots of big scores. Kolkata tends to be the only one that turns a bunch.
slane
Guest
Hopefully with the continued growth of the IPL our players will spend more time playing against the Indian spinners.
Pope Paul VII
Guest
Sydney only spun for a bit in the 80s when the soil had tired. Then we had Shane Warne. Before that it was pace friendly or even stevent. Now it appears to have returned to it's even character. Batsmen need to learn how to play spin bowlers not the pitches.
Dean
Guest
The WACA has been an aussie doctored pitch for years. There was a bit of a scare when the Windies were firing, but we've been offering up skull threatening pitches to sub-continental opponents there forever. It's not like the sub continent pitches only started turning since they had good spinners. Since only a handful of senior players ever play on the SCG, that isn't the problem. The problem is the lack of spinning pitches in lower grade cricket for up and coming spinners and a lack of long cricket matches. Most local cricket matches are long over before the footmarks or dust comes into play.
Gremlins
Roar Rookie
Why bring in dirt from India and then expect it to behave as it would in India in Australia's climate? Why not simply have the Australian team do a month or two in the Centre to get that experience on dry wickets in a dry environment? Some well-placed development in the NT would probably have other benefits in the long run, too. It certainly has benefited the AFL.
Gareth Kidd
Roar Guru
I don't think the hypocrisy end there. We create pitches which suit our quicks as well and are almost green-top heroes.
Brian
Guest
I've always thought us a touch hypercritical here. We bag India and England for doctoring pitches yet somehow after Warne & Macgill retired the SCG lost its turn. Given we'll be 3-0 by the time of the Sydney test this year I do hope it gets its old turn back. Lets have Lyon & Boyce bowling in tandem and if it all means we only beat India 3-1 so be it. These one sided series where we thrash at home and get thrashed away are hardly good for test cricket.
Gareth Kidd
Roar Guru
Actually the SCG pitch is one of the few in the country that is not a drop in. It's there all year round.
Chui
Guest
Drop in pitches at venues seem to take a lot of the character from our grounds, however I can't see that ever changing back. AFL is too powerful for that. The SCG pitch used to be made of soil from Bulli I think, and they used to have tonnes of it under one of the stands. Who knows if that still exists.