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On a pitch that might have been inspired by MC Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This”, 331 runs fell for 19 wickets in Australia’s loss to South Africa at Guyana.
I didn’t watch it because I don’t have pay television and, even if I did, I would have been asleep anyway, but I immediately loved the pitch when I heard the scores.
You see, they were playing with a white ball, and the bowlers were allowed to enjoy themselves. Apparently this is still legal.
Cricket can be fun when the bowlers dictate play. I recently had what might be described as a rant asking for more bowler-friendly pitches. Exaggeration aside, pitches like the one in Guyana are great – in moderation of course.
Call me out of touch, but what’s wrong with at least the occasional white ball match where a leave or a block is a legitimate option? Half-centuries mean a lot more in these matches.
In this match, Aaron Finch showed how much he has developed as a batsman, to the extent he can dominate innings in conditions that suit bowlers as well as batsmen. He’s shown there should be no doubt over his place in the side.
Ravi Ashwin was recently quoted as saying six well-constructed bad balls might be the way to go in Twenty20 cricket, especially when the conditions are loaded against the bowlers. When one of the world’s premier off-spinners is saying that, it’s not unreasonable to argue there is a need for more bowler-friendly conditions.
I don’t believe bowlers should always get the advantage, or that they should always get a fair go. Just that they get as much of a fair go as every other type of cricketer.
189 is very rarely a winning score in the 21st century for an ODI. But a non-rain-affected match where 189 can be defended sounds more interesting than many matches in batsmen-friendly conditions where 350 plays 300, and the latter score is only boosted at the end after the result of the match is already decided.
On this website, I have jokingly called this tri-series the Chris Gayle Carrot Trophy. At least the pitches are living up to that name.
Of course, since the tri-series is now leaving Guyana, I imagine that might change soon.
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