There are few things in cricket more depressing than a lifeless WACA pitch. After the perfect Test strip produced at Brisbane, Perth had a tough act to follow. But the groundsman failed miserably.
At the Gabba, the players were offered a wonderful surface. The fast bowlers earned generous pace and lift, spinners were getting appreciable turn and bounce from day one, while batsmen who got set were able to hit through the line with confidence.
Then, in the lead up to the Perth Test, the talk out of the West was of a WACA strip which would boast intimidating pace and bounce.
WACA curator Matthew Page told the players to expect a sharp and hostile pitch.
It was not to be. Australia’s first innings slaughter of the Kiwi bowlers suggested the WACA track was a pale comparison of its former ferocious self.
But there still remained the hope that Australia’s taller and far quicker bowlers could wring some life out of the deck.
Even with 196cm-tall Mitchell Starc bowling regularly above 150kmh and, quite remarkably, as high as 160kmh, the ball was dying off the pitch.
It’s shockingly benign state was summed up in the space of five minutes early in yesterday’s first session.
Starc, who was amid a searing spell in which his average speed was 149kmh, earned a genuine edge from the bat of Kane Williamson. It fell comfortably short of first slip.
Then Josh Hazlewood got Ross Taylor to nick through to first slip. Again, the ball unbelievably did not reach the fieldsman on the full.
This is a venue where slips fielders used to routinely take the ball between waist and head high, even on the fifth day.
Now even 150kmh missiles weren’t able to get an edge to carry. What a joke.
As a Perth born-and-raised lad lucky enough to have been a WACA member for a decade, I spent my childhood entranced by the exciting cricket this pitch fostered.
Rarely were there dull sessions at the WACA. Bowlers got more pace and more bounce than anywhere else, adding a gladiatorial aspect to their battles with the batsmen.
Those strokemakers who got ‘in’, however, often were able to score at a rapid rate thanks to the oh-so-true bounce and swift outfield.
There has been no such contest in this Test, with the bowlers reduced to merely facilitators of the runscoring process.
So poor has the pitch been that it was criticised by a batsman who had just collected a double ton, by another who had cruised to 121, and even the chief executive of Cricket Australia, a man famous for his positive spin on home Tests.
Those three men – David Warner, Usman Khawaja and James Sutherland – seemed almost as upset by the soporific deck as was I and most cricket fans.
Warner said the pitch was “disappointing”, Khawaja rued the fact he expected it to be “quicker” while Sutherland also was underwhelmed.
The WACA already was in a tenuous position following the announcement that major Tests and limited overs matches soon would be shifted to Perth’s new stadium.
But the door was not completely shut on the city’s traditional cricket venue, which would have the chance to host some international fixtures.
This Test match was a prime opportunity for the WACA to serve a startling reminder as to why it remained a wonderful venue.
Instead Matthew Page’s boring pitch must have left many people feeling that perhaps the scrapping of WACA Tests was no great loss.
What a pity.
mahtay
Guest
I think this pitch was deliberately set so there would be no nostalgic wish for the old ground when shenanigans move away to the new ground. This was truly a heartbreaking debacle for cricket more widely, and for us Sangropers in particular. Growing up watching the Lillee/Marsh combo, licking my lips when Thommo and the Windies were going to be there too, this was just mind numbingly depressing. I cannot believe in this day of professionals at every level, this flat joke of a wicket was an accident.
Fox
Guest
Southee took 4-97 in the second innings the best figures of any bowler for the match and no bowler took more than 4 - Boult - Southee - and Starc all took 4 And I know it is not cool to say it when he retired but the worst bowling was not by a kiwi but was by Johnston in the first innings of NZ and this no doubt tipped the scales for him to retire So Ronan aspects of the Australian attack have loooked lame at times as well and seriously Lyon has not looked anything special...a good off spinner but nothing special... In fact he has not done much more than Craig except be tidier But their wicket taking ability is not much different - which ironically was the case with their strike rates before a ball was bowled - and so far the tests have reflected that..like it or not And credit to Craig who bowled poorly at times ( as did Lyon though not as often) but Craig definitely deceived the Australian batting in flight on day two of Australia's 2nd innings when they were trying to push on but couldn't So dare I it - but Johnston has been not very impressive in this series even though he is one of Australia's greatest.... As Tubby said - he is a bowler that relied on express pace to intimidate batsmen but when that is gone - because he is not a genuine swing bowler - bowlers of his ilk fall away very quickly which I think is fair comment.. So honors shared by the bowlers in this test - neither attack did much damage when it counted and honors shared in the batting to...both capitalized on the Net-Wicket road
Rostafari
Guest
What a pathetic, lame pitch. It never offered any competition and made for a boring test match. One of the lamest pitches I have seen in years. The groundsmen preparing it should be censored.
JB
Guest
How much you have on it?
Andrew Pelechaty
Roar Rookie
I smell a conspiracy. With Australia's big Gabba win, Channel Nine ordered a tame WACA pitch so a) the Adelaide Test wouldn't be a dead rubber and b) a bore draw would give Nine commentators more time to hype up the D/N Test as the greatest thing ever. I'm joking of course. The great thing about Aussie pitches is their character. The WACA losing its legendary pace and bounce is sad. With the two Mitch's and Hazlewood, it would make sense to give them some help.
Leigh
Guest
I'm really annoyed about the state of the pitch. As fans we want to see a contest between bat and ball. This has been ridiculous. I went on day 1, sat in the Inverarity Stand for $120 a seat, ate hugely overpriced food and drank $5 little bottles of water. It's an expensive day out and when a dead, dull autobahn is dished up as a wicket it is annoying. It leads to very boring cricket. Maybe cricket Aus are getting what they asked for and, after this match, less resistance to a move across the river. Look to how the fans at the ground reacted to starc's spell on Sunday to see what type of cricket people want to see.
Bearfax
Guest
I pined at your absence Don. Gnashed teeth, rent clothes, doubled my anti-depressant dose. It was a difficult time. But seriously glad you're OK.
Don Freo
Guest
Nah...all good Bear. I have two new knees now.
Don Freo
Guest
"Missed your contrary nature..." Of course you didn't!!!
Bearfax
Guest
Sorry to hear you've been in hospital Don. Hope you're OK. Missed your contrary nature. Welcome back.
Fox
Guest
Well yes Ronan but let's be honest...and lets not get carried away with speed...no bowler has been very impressive in this test so that isn't saying a hell of a lot.. .I might agree with you but he hasn't done all that much either to the NZ top order before they amassed 600 runs The wicket is what I call another Net-Wicket...A wicket produced for TV Networks, their shareholders, owners and sponsors and not in the interests of a fair contest between bat and ball and not in the interest of fans either - you know the people who get them their ratings They simply could not give a toss about that. I remember in the WC the super hyped game between Australia and NZ at Eden Park...boy Channel 9 must have been charging like a crooked bookie for advertising and then Boult and Starc turned it into barely 50 overs because they had a dead pitch but they can't control the swing factor in NZ The next game Australia was on a flat track road in Sydney that bordered on criminal. The runs scored were just ridiculous in that game....but rest assured Channel 9 and other networks demanded a pitch with no life - no spin - nothing but runs They wanted 100 overs to be bowled with lots of runs and boundaries which slows down a game as the ball has to constantly fetched..because they lost plenty on the NZ game - almost half a game of revenue went up in smoke in the game billed as the game of the group stage So in Sydney the ground staff were told to deliver a 100 over wicket with a truck load of runs..and nothing at all in it for the bowlers. ( which was the order for the WC really but Sydney went yo another level of utter stupidity).no matter what the hell they bowled and then prayed it wouldn't swing..and knew it wouldn't like it can in NZ and England...the boundary ropes were in a long way in, in that game as well...briefly mentioned by a couple of the commentators but they were then shackled i suspect.... It had to be one of the longest games in the WC - if not in ODI history...oh yea they made sure they got their money back and it was so obvious what had happened... It is time something was done about it but the powers that be are handcuffed by TV dollars and too gutless to stand up to them and you won't hear too many negatives from the commentators at channel nine - who constantly talk up the game and the chances of a result Because they are on the network payroll..but you can bet they know exactly whats going on but their mouths are shackled and indeed instructed to talk up the game no matter how much of a road is delivered...and as soon as one of them slips..another quickly jumps in to counter and stem the criticism..or changes the subject Notice we don't get many guest commentators anymore? Because they're mouths are not shackled by TV and the networks don't want a discussion about bad pitches that don't offer a contest. Every time Bret Lee talked about it being a road he was countered by someone else or the subject was changed to the batsman or bowlers...obviously still learning just how far he can go with the network riding shotgun Adelaide with the new balls is an unknown but sooooo.....much is riding on the huge hyping of the first Day-Night test match that I think we can guarantee that a dead as a dodo batting track will be rolled out and especially as the networks and their sponsors will be nervous about just how the pink ball might behave in the hands of two very capable atacks Or will Kookaburra churn out crap balls that suspiciously go soft much earlier than they used to... I mean con'on people how far is television and cricket Australia prepared to go for 100's of millions of dollars in revenue? All the way one suspects The situation deserves to treated with the utmost cynicism because it is now just far too obvious what is going on to appease local and global television revenue But it is ruining the game and they just don't give a damn
Dalgety Carrington
Roar Guru
The only thing is Cam got the boot in 2013, a good couple of months before the WACA turned out a ripping ball-tearer of a wicket in the Ashes. There were suggestions he had run-ins with the admin, but also talk among the turf guys that he wasn't the most even-handed guy going around.
Dalgety Carrington
Roar Guru
That's a gross exaggeration.
Dalgety Carrington
Roar Guru
This pitch was all about keeping the Test match (and along with it the series) alive for as long as possible. They could produce much better, as they have done in the most recent Ashes Test at the WACA. Maybe the ground staff thought "You want a nice batting track, we'll give you a nice batting track!".
Don Freo
Guest
I've just spent a week in hospital and got the best goss from a nursing sister who is a WACA member. When Cam Sutherland departed as curator last season "in mysterious circumstances" it is suggested it was because he refused to bow to CA instructions about how to present (prepare) the WACA pitch. When he refused, Christina Matthews flew back to Perth from a CA meeting and suggested he look for suitable employment. Sutherland (Cam not James) was responsible for the rejuvenation of the WACA pitch with the Woodanilling clay. Matt Page was his 2IC. Cam Sutherland was rebuilding a Roy Abbott WACA. The journalism investigating and reporting Cam Sutherland's departure is deafening in its silence.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
This match is certain to be a draw now. NZ need to take something like 8-90 in the morning (I'd expect Khawaja to bat if needed) to be even a slim chance of winning and on a flat deck where each wicket has cost 73 runs apiece that looks extremely unlikely. Even then that would leave NZ needing to make 284 off say 60 overs which again would be extremely difficult, particularly on the last day under so much pressure. Meanwhile, if Australia are able to declare tomorrow then you better believe Smith will offer NZ an impossible target...350 off 50 overs would be the most generous offer he would make to the Kiwis. Australia only need a draw from this Test to keep the Trans-Tasman Trophy so there'll be no brave declaration from Smith.
Liam
Guest
It might not have been 160kph, but to say that it was 'random' or that 'a bowler works up to a speed like that', with the implication that Starc didn't, is a severe misrepresentation of the facts. This test has been boring as hell, but that spell was fast, and difficult to play, when the rest of the test match there has been nothing at all to trouble the batsmen. He registered multiple balls over 150 the over or two leading up to the ball in question, so he did work up to bowling quick. Two balls before the ball, he bowled one at 157. If it was at 160, it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone, just as it shouldn't really be a surprise that it didn't beat the batsmen. This surface is a road, and the block was less than confident, but if you do not swing the ball against one so established, you will find it difficult to beat the bat. Please, don't let your antipathy towards the Ch9 commentary, regardless of how terrible they are, get in the way of admitting that Starc's delivery could actually have been that fast.
AndyS
Guest
The ACB pretty clearly telegraphed it was 'bye bye' to the WACA a couple of years ago. As bad as this track has been I doubt the drop-in will be better, especially with a new stadium to pay for...
Broken-hearted Toy
Guest
Bellerive CAN BE the liveliest deck in the country, can also be as flat as Adelaide for Shield games. I'm embarrassed about this WACA pitch. It's vile. I don't care what Sutherland says, it was made to order like last summer's pitches. They want five days and they want the WACA to look no different than the drop-ins that are coming to Burswood so that no-one will care once test cricket is gone from the WACA. I also like a good corporate conspiracy theory as much as anyone else.
jamesb
Guest
Worst.WACA.Pitch.Ever.