It’s not unusual in Test cricket for teams to declare their innings. Usually it’s to ensure there’s enough time to make a play at an outright result. But sometimes it’s for other reasons.
Recovering from injury, Australian captain Michael Clarke announced on Saturday that he would make a rare appearance for his grade team Western Suburbs next Saturday to test his fitness.
It was an announcement that would prompt bizarre scenes at Old Kings Oval.
Grade cricket games are played over two days, and next Saturday is the second day of Wests’ clash against Parramatta. There’s provision in the rules to allow Michael Clarke to be substituted into the Wests team next week. That’s no problem.
But by the time the news had filtered through that Michael Clarke was going to play, the game had already started, and Wests were batting.
Under normal circumstances, Wests would have batted through the first day and had the second day in the field. Outright results are rare in two-day games, and most games are first-innings contests, with teams only having a second innings for as long as there’s a reasonable prospect of an outright result.
But to increase the chances of Clarke having a bat next week, the Wests’ captain declared the first innings closed in the 10th over. Barely half an hour had passed, the score 0/18, and the innings was over. First innings points were conceded, with Parramatta passing the Wests score within a few overs.
Was it in the interests of one player being placed above the game? Absolutely. But when that one player is the Test captain, that’s totally understandable.
The pitch at Old Kings Oval, in Parramatta Park to the west of the NRL stadium, must have been a road. Parramatta raced along at nearly six per over before declaring at 2/140 shortly after lunch and then sending Wests back in.
Maybe the Parramatta captain wasn’t quite singing to the Michael Clarke songbook. Had Wests collapsed in their second dig, Clarke could have been left to bat with the tail next week or even wrapped up the outright result on the first day.
But instead, Wests dominated with the bat to race to 1/230 at stumps. Clarke will slot into the team next week and have a good batting pitch to prove his claims to selection for the first Test.
It wasn’t the first contrived declaration, and probably won’t be the last.
An interesting one came in Centurion, South Africa in 2000. After four rain-affected days, South Africa declared their first innings at 8/248. Sensationally, England captain Nasser Hussain declared their first innings closed at 0/0 and South Africa’s Hansie Cronje did the same for the Proteas’ second innings.
A Test that had looked condemned to a dull draw suddenly came to life.
England chased down the target for a remarkable win. A contrived result, and it later emerged that Cronje had leaked the plan to a bookmaker. But it produced a far more interesting final day than would otherwise have been possible.
Competing captains have made deals with each other to set up declarations, particularly in the last round of league contests where outright points are needed to ensure progression to the finals.
In Sydney grade cricket, so widespread had it become, that for several years now the last round of the regular season has been a 50 over one-day game to prevent it.
It’s a lost art in the era of covered pitches. But in the days of uncovered pitches and sticky wickets, some bizarre declarations were made to avoid batting in the treacherous conditions.
After Don Bradman hung up his bat for the last time, England toured Australia in 1950/51. The first Test was at the Gabba, with Lindsay Hassett as the new Australian skipper.
Australia was dismissed for 228 on the first day and then the rain came. No play on the second day, with the water falling on the pitch. By the time play started on the third day, the muddy pitch was a nightmare to bat on.
England were sinking, and at 7/68 decided enough was enough and threw in the towel. The Australian batsmen didn’t enjoy the conditions either, slumping to 7/32 before they also decided they’d rather throw the opposition back in.
England’s second innings was no better, crashing out again on an unplayable deck to be 6/30 at stumps. The pitch had dried out a bit by the next day, but the damage was done.
Conditions virtually unplayable for batting, but where the captains knew it would dry out and decided not to waste those conditions on having their tail-enders eking out whatever runs they could and instead hastening those tail-enders’ opportunity to bowl to the opposition.
Such declarations are rare. Normally the declaration is to allow time to bowl the opposition out.
Timing is critical. Declare too early, and the opposition chases down the total. Declare too late, and time runs out before the game can be won.
To paraphrase, for everything there is a season. A time for every purpose under heaven. A time to bat and a time to bowl.
And when it’s time to bowl, you don’t want to still be batting. Such is the art of the declaration.
Gharner
Roar Rookie
You mean only test defeat as captain. He led in 6 tests for 4 wins
Gharner
Roar Rookie
You mean only test defeat as captain. He led in 6 tests for 4 wins
Matt
Roar Rookie
You realise that this has been happening long before Clarkie, and will probably happen long after him. But hey, everyone's jumping on the dogpile, so get in there and bag him out!
mds1970
Roar Guru
The trend of setting enormous last innings run chases probably derives from the fact that enforcing the follow-on is no longer in vogue. If teams already have a lead of over 200 before the second innings even starts, chances are they'll bat for quite a while and add considerably to that lead. Teams have chased down big run chases in recent years, and that may add to the conservatism of when to declare. In Michael Holding's day, with over rates of 70 per day and run rates barely 2 per over, you could declare late on the 4th day with a lead of 300 and there'd be no chance of chasing that down. But a declaration like that now would be suicidal - Adam Gilchrists' only Test as captain ended in an embarrassing defeat because he declared too early.
Maggie
Guest
Well actually he's not. But remains to be seen if he is fit enough to play in the grade match on Saturday either. I for one certainly hope he is.
Josh P
Guest
What about declarations that are 100-200 runs larger than the stadium's run chase record? To compound to it, the team who set the declaration is already giving their opponents a physical and mental hidings, which makes the chase look even more bizarre. These days, there are so many chases that require a mountain of runs, so I wonder whether batting teams are just too conservative, or they want to try and bowl their opponents into the ground, before sending them out to bat, for the better of the series. In commentary, Michael Holding always has an issue with this and references how his West Indies teams would rather win the game sooner, so they can go home. He can't stand setting a team 550 to win when the game is already one-sided.
The Bush
Roar Guru
That's the biggest joke, the whole thing was for nothing - baha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
mds1970
Roar Guru
It's a grade game, they're hardly playing for sheep stations. It would give an opportunity for the Test captain to have a hit-out. At the same time, a rare opportunity for people to see him playing for free; while providing exposure to a level of cricket that receives little publicity. And Parramatta, the home club, would do a roaring trade at the canteen and a nice little financial earner.
JGK
Roar Guru
I reckon playing cricket against the Australian captain would be the pinnacle of the game for most of the Parra players but their club wanted to deprive them of it.
Monday's Expert
Guest
What's unsporting about declaring at 0-18? Jeez, Australian's really are starting to usurp the English in the art of whinging.
Monday's Expert
Guest
Pfft, get over yourself Mick, who died and made you sheriff?
Pedro the Maroon
Guest
I read that and smiled to myself. Those 2000 kids will have to find something else to do now.
outsidetrader
Guest
It now looks like Michael Clarke will be playing in the Adelaide warmup 2 day match this Friday & Saturday instead, so the whole declaration will have been for nothing.
Jo M
Guest
I agree. He only did it because he wanted Clarke to have a bat on day 2 and he told their captain at the toss and why he was doing it. They thought he was bluffing because he didn't declare straight away.
Bovs
Guest
I think both clubs deserve punishment here. If Parramatta had been willing to bat first as a compromise for the sake of the Australian National Team, then Wests wouldn't have been forced into the awkward situation. A coin toss is a 50/50 thing anyway... so biasing the result such that one team wins it doesn't *really* compromise the match (if you accept that cricket matches can be won or lost at the coin toss, then you may as well do away with cricket because no game should be decided on this pure chance). However, once Parramatta refused to allow the biasing of the coin toss then Wests shouldn't have sacriiced the spirit of the game for the sake of one player.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
I don't know about that. A team that's coming last, as some have said is the case, and the points don't mean that much to as they probably aren't really in with a shot of making the finals anyway, have the opportunity to have their players playing a match alongside the Australian Captain, and one of the best batsmen in the world currently, for a day, make it a really fun day where probably lots of local kids will turn up to get up close and personal with Clarke and watch him play for free? Probably not a bad deal there. Remember, this is sport, it's meant to be fun and not taken too seriously. Why should they be punished for that?
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
I think the only complaints are about the strange nature of the declaration, in the age of match fixing, such things get attention. I don't think anyone has a problem with Clarke going back and playing the second week as such. Years ago when I played grade cricket we had the two state openers in our club and at one point as many as 5 players in the state team, so it was common for people to shuffle up and down grades mid-game. So I don't see that too many people would have a problem with that at all. While it's not uncommon for the state guys to come in and out, the national team guys don't get back to their clubs that often.
Jo M
Guest
He did it so he could prove his fitness. Parra already knew he was on the team list before they got to the ground. He told the Parra captain what he was going to do and that he knew he would lose 6 points if he lost the toss, which he did. Of course Parra wanted the 6 points so they sent them in. That also had to do with the fact that last time Clarke played them in a grade game he scored 200. Wests are coming last, so while the points matter it was more important to give him a bat. He played in a ODI and a T20 game for them 2 seasons back because the Big Bash was on and he had had no game time leading up to the Sydney test where a lot of the others were playing in the Big Bash. There was at least 2000 people there and he spent a lot of time signing autographs and having photos taken with people while they were batting. They even had to shut the change room door to give him a bit of peace and quiet before he had to go and bat, I remember that well. That was at Pratten Park. I don't see anything wrong with it at all. The rep players often come back in and play either day 1 or day 2 when they are available or coming back from injury. Happens all the time and noone complains, maybe just because it is Clarke.
spruce moose
Guest
Baffling article. Declarations should at all time be sporting. I hope Wests get punished for their actions. Talk about playing to an ego. No one is bigger than the game. Not even the captain.
Mitch
Guest
I agree, the Wests captain mentioned something about "it will give the opportunity for 2000 kids to turn up and see the Australian captain play" and I don't think that figure is too unrealistic. If I was in Sydney and not already playing myself I would turn up to watch him hopefully destroy some first grade attack. And perhaps the fact that Wests are running last had some weight on Wests declaration.