When India saw the fixtures for this summer’s Test series they would have been elated. Arguably the world’s quickest, bounciest pitch, the WACA, was nowhere to be seen.
When the equally lively deck at the Gabba proved comfortably less venomous than last summer they must have been pinching themselves.
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When the venue where quicks have prospered most in recent years, the MCG, turned out a surface resembling a Delhi highway the tourists’ smiles must have been as broad as the country they were touring.
‘Are we really in Australia?’, they may have pondered, looking skyward in appreciation of the comfortable circumstances.
While they have received a sometimes hostile reception from the Australian players, the Indians could scarcely have hoped for better hospitality from the local curators.
Given the way in which the Indians order their own groundsmen to doctor pitches that will haunt touring sides, they must be incredulous at the conditions so far in this series.
Australia boast a pair of fast bowlers, in Ryan Harris and Mitchell Johnson, who are among the top-five bowlers in Test cricket and who thrive on responsive pitches.
India boast a ragtag bunch of seamers who, despite reasonable levels of talent, rarely run through opposition line-ups regardless of the pitch conditions.
The tourists’ batsmen have also been exposed repeatedly on decks which offer help to fast men. That is understandable as the pitches on which they hone their game in India very, very rarely behave in this manner.
Foreign environments test even the elite cricketers. Arguably Australia’s second-greatest batsman of all time, Ricky Ponting, never managed to master the dry, dusty Indian decks. Few Australian batsmen have.
That is why when Australia visit the subcontinent they are greeted with pitches which look like a strip of the Gobi desert.
Pitches which turn from the first session. Pitches which offer dramatic variations in pace and bounce. Pitches so low and slow they torment Australia’s pace battery.
We accept this as the norm in cricket.
Countries prepare surfaces to suit their side. When Australia toured England last year the often juicy local decks were remarkably parched. The English recognised that their champion spinner Graeme Swann was the key difference between the teams and manufactured pitches that would assist him.
It worked. Swann, who struggled in the other three Ashes series in which he played, was suddenly a major weapon and finished the series as the leading wicket-taker from either side.
Australia swiftly returned the favour last summer by ensuring that pitches Down Under allowed Johnson and Harris to wreak havoc. So why have Australia offered a sucker an even break this time? Johnson and Harris have both expressed their disgruntlement.
The latter player, who is known for being very even-handed in the media, was shocked that the Australian decks had been so amiable.
“I’m not saying we should get ridiculous bouncy wickets,” Harris said last week. “But we go to India and get absolute shockers over there so it’d be nice to get some green tops over here.”
Johnson was even more forthcoming, criticising the Australian curators heavily last week.
“We played over there (in India) and lost four-nil on some pretty ordinary wickets. I thought we were hoping for them to come over here and play on some good, bouncy, wickets,” Johnson said.
“I even thought the Gabba wasn’t the normal Gabba. There was a bit of bounce there, but it wasn’t the same. Wickets have been suited for the batsmen more than anything.”
Some will say the flat pitches this summer are solely the result of Cricket Australia trying to protect its bottom line. No doubt they would like the Tests to stretch into Day 5 to ensure maximum ticket sales and to please the broadcasters.
But this is not a new imperative. Yet this is the first summer in recent memory in which the local pitches have changed in nature and in doing so benefited the visiting side.
Cricket Australia would have been concerned that if Harris got the green tops he hoped for the Tests could have ended inside three days. However, that is no reason to overcorrect and offer India the kind of generosity which they will never return.
While Australia boast a potent pace attack they should prepare to play on lifeless decks every time they journey overseas. Touring sides should expect similar pitch tactics when they visit Australia.
Smitty
Guest
If this is how the pitches in Aus are going to be i won't bother watching anymore. What a load of boring BS! So because Phil passed away and CA asked for the tests to be delayed. ...this was the ultimatum? Disgusting! Why does everyone bow to cricket india. No wonder they were so "good" about the delays. I thought that was out of character....death or no death. Shame on india and shame on CA for kowtowing
Ruminate
Roar Guru
The MCG was an atrocious pitch and barely test standard for quite a while in the 70's/80's. No facts to support it but there is probably less footy played on it now than there was then, given under 19's, seconds and seniors games used to occur on it every Saturday, plus training. Did you ever see the centre square in Melbourne in winter during a then VFL season? Do you realise how long it took for the grass to grow back for the Sheffield Shield season after the AFL grand final...its not all about the AFL...it was about the cricket pitches otherwise you'd see a drop in at all AFL grounds.
Ruminate
Roar Guru
Wasn't their an issue in sourcing the particular type of soil used for the WACA deck? It's good to see it back but I missed a WACA test this year....feeling short changed. IToo be interesting to see what happens with the new stadium being built and what happens with the WACA
Ruminate
Roar Guru
You mean like Emgland did with their last ashes series? The country most guilty of doctoring pitches is the UK cricket team ( how can they be an 'English team' when an Irishman is their one day captain and they include Welsh and Scottish players at their whim?) Indian pitche's are variants of the same type of pitches, if you tour their you know what you are going to get. The same for SA, Sri Lanka, the UAE, NZ, Bangladesh, and The West Indies, the latter give or take a little random under preparation at time that might see the pitch being set on fire! You would argue that this years Australian pitches, Adelaide aside, are the ones that are not typical and have been 'doctored' but strangely not in favour of the home side...Cynicism prevails on this....is it BCCI intervention or merely CA not wanting any 3 day test matches so as to maximise TV and match revenue streams? The truth is potentially somewhere in between these 2 suppositions...
Stephan
Guest
I think that the lack of variety in Australian pitches contributes to Australia's stuggle to win away from home. Previously the shield cricket would expose Australian batsmen and bowlers to a range of conditions, be it spinning, fast or slow pirches. Now that we have more or less the same drop in pitches for every ground, we stuggle overseas when exposed to something different. Bring back the variety!
apoorva singhal
Guest
Pitches in this series are very unaustralian....slow and flat like Indian tracks...I am an Indian....but I am amazed at the type of pitches for this series....looks like money and power of bcci has played a role in it....sad Aistralia is also succumbing to the clout of ugly bcci..
Vidyut
Guest
100% percent. .agree with you mate.....BCCI is killing the great game of Cricket we all loved once.
deepak
Guest
Make some fast pitches and see, we also have fast bowlers..dont play the blame game to hide your problems, we have seen how Australia played in last years..In Dubai and in INDIA...and around the world..like kids..
Whatever
Guest
Don't agree with doctoring ptiches, but the curators have done just that to the benefit of the Indians. The curators have had a woeful season, I hope to see a return to the previous season's bounciness. It makes cricket more exciting
JMW
Guest
It's a shame India's popgun bowling attack can only rattle them down at a mere 120km/hour. It isn't very threatening and doesn't force errors the way consistent speed in the high 140s can. Watching their bowlers today I couldn't help wondering why they don't work harder on their fitness. They seem to lack height which generates awkward bounce, particularly when delivered at high speed and their physical condition doesn't look quiet hard enough. Maybe they need some serious gym time.
Simoc
Guest
Yes it did seem strange when the South Africans and past West Indies teams came with superior fast bowlers, we give them a Perth test. They would mark them down as a great chance to win. But teams like India don't ever seem to get to play a test in Perth.
Alex
Guest
Although those footmarks were from I. Sharma bowling around the wicket and Johnson bowling over the wicket. He has been quite poor for the rest of the series.
Nudge
Guest
It's a crap wicket if the bowler can't bounce it above the batsmans waist, which happens every test in India
Alicesprings
Guest
So I take it you've never played footy on a ground with a cricket square in the middle?? Both Melbourne and Adelaide produced good quality test..funny that they had drop in pitches hey? There will be some serious pressure on wa cricket to move to the new stadium once it's finished. That will just leave the gabba and scg with cricket squares.
soapit
Guest
Peter
Roar Rookie
Hanging's probably a bit extreme.
Peter
Roar Rookie
If you go too far with doctoring pitches a team can end up great at home and poor away. We need our players to develop skills in different conditions. Nevertheless a few should favour the quicks.
ozinsa
Guest
Watch a little IPL and see just how different in pace and bounce the Indian decks can be. MJ fired for Mumbai Indians on green decks that kick-started his renaissance prior to the last Ashes. We clearly doctored the tracks last year to ensure every wicket had more bounce than usual. India and England patently ensured that the tracks in the earlier series were as brown and slow as possible. Doctoring goes on, it's accepted. The article isn't a whinge about juicing up or flattening tracks it's pointing out that we didn't do that this summer. Seems an obvious call to me.
Pope Paul vii
Guest
Perhaps Dal, it had good carry though. Was it Perth where Tait played his last test? That was a dud and a half if it's the one I'm thinking of?
Bomb78
Guest
I think it was Ricky Ponting that suggested doing away with the toss in test matches and letting the visiting captain the option to bat or bowl first. The argument being it would go someway to reducing the home ground advantage of doctored pitches. Spruce Moose - Indian wickets aren't doctored? How many time do we see a lifeless strip of rolled dirt surrounded by what looks like a billiard table quality field? If there is enough water to keep the outfield green the only reason you produce a dust bowl wicket is because you want to.