While Australia regained the Ashes 4-0 this year, and the majority of the national media cheerlead for them along the way, there is an increasing divide between the competitiveness of series, and the balance between bat and ball, of Test cricket in Australia.
Television ratings and crowds might been up this summer, however an Ashes summer only comes around every four years and fans won’t continually turn up to watch turgid affairs which are dominated by batsmen and contain several dead rubbers.
The best Test match this summer was the day-night Test in Adelaide, once again, because the ball nipped around and there was a genuine contest for batsmen.
A feeling that something could happen every ball. The best Test matches are games with scores between 250-350. You only have to go back to last week’s South Africa/India first Test Match in South Africa, or Australia’s four Test Tour of India last year, to witness a riveting series, even if the wickets were turning square from Ball 1 on occasions, or seaming.
I’m not suggesting these wickets are perfect, but they Test a batsman’s skills far more, and surely are more captivating and entertaining, regardless of the result.
Since 1994 in Australia, we have not had a five-Test series that was alive come the final Test. The six Ashes series have all been decided by two Tests or more, with three series being decided by four Tests or more in Australia’s favour.
(Photo by Philip Brown/Getty Images)
England have been beaten to the tune of 3-1, 4-1, 5-0, 5-0 and 4-0, while their victory in 2010 was a 3-1 triumph. Australia did beat the West Indies 3-2 in 1996, however the West Indies won a dead rubber in Perth.
The last truly great five Test series in Australia was back in 1992/93 when the West Indies stole the game in Adelaide by one run, before trouncing Australia in Perth to claim a 2-1 win after being down 1-0 with two Tests to play.
Home sides are increasingly dominating across the world, with South Africa the only side to win more than one series in Australia over the past 25 years.
With broadcasters desperate for the game to last five days, and venues themselves equally desperate to secure gate receipts for all five days, curators are under more and more pressure to produce pitches that go the distance.
Perhaps we finally reached a tipping point in the Melbourne Boxing Day Test, where a really flat batting wicket was highly castigated as one below Test standard in the media, and through various cricket websites.
So much so that there was an official investigation taken by the pitch inspector after both Steve Smith and Joe Root declared their dissatisfaction with the wicket’s slow surface. I believe some sort of pitch inspector and points systems for wickets would be a good start, with wickets being penalised for being too flat, as equally as being underprepared.
If you live in Sydney as I do, the Sydney New Year’s Tests, over the past 25 years, have contained just a few live rubbers.
In Sydney you have to go back to 1994 for a real thriller, when South Africa defeated Australia by five runs. In 2008 we also had a good finish when Michael Clarke took three wickets at the death, in what looked like a dull draw for most of the match against India.
Outside of those two, it’s been slim pickings for fans craving a live series or thrilling Test match, with more individual recollections like Steve Waugh’s hundred off the last ball being the lasting memories for SCG Test attendees.
In Sydney, six of the highest ten overall match aggregate runs have occurred at the ground in the last fifteen years.
Test matches have been played at the SCG since 1883, yet in 2003, 2004, 2008, 2011 and 2015 we had over 1300 runs scored, with over 1500 runs in three of those Test matches. It’s even more pronounced at the revered WACA ground, where the general consensus is the pace and bounce is great for bowlers, however the stats tell a different tale.
In the history of Tests at the WACA, seven of the ten highest all time match aggregate runs have occurred in the last twelve years. That’s 2005, 2006, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2016, where over 1300 runs and up to 1672 runs were scored.
The Gabba might have been a fortress for Australia; however it’s also been the home of several huge scores and lopsided games over the past fifteen years. Seven of the highest ten overall match aggregate runs in the history of Gabba Tests have occurred since 1996.
Some of the current great batsmen of today are playing on surfaces at home which are generally far flatter, meaning comparing players from previous eras becomes more and more difficult. It also adds to the inflation of players’ averages in home conditions, compared to players of the past.
It doesn’t mean they are not great players; however comparing modern day players to guys who played Test cricket for Australia in the 1980s 1990s becomes tricky. Is an average of 47 or 48 in today’s Test Cricket comparable to an average of say 40 or 41 in Test cricket of 15-20 years ago?
The likes of Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Matthew Hayden and David Warner have been, or are, great players for Australia. However, it is interesting to take a look at their home records compared to their averages in overseas Tests, as there is a fair discrepancy. David Warner averages 59 at home, yet only 38 in overseas contests.
Similarly, Usman Khawaja averages 59 at home, yet only 27 on the road. Players like Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey and Matthew Hayden were all-time greats of Australian cricket; however had significant discrepancies at home to overseas. Clarke’s average was 23 runs higher at home, averaging 62; Hussey’s was 20 runs higher at home with 61 compared to 41; while Hayden was 15 runs higher at 57 at home, compared to 42 overseas.
Then, when you look through some player’s records, it is apparent that some might have been understated as great players. Simon Katich, for example, played nearly double the amount of his 56 Tests overseas.
In 35 Tests overseas, he averaged 46, which is a full four points more than Hayden, Warner, Hussey and Clarke away. Katich played just 21 home Tests, which leaves you to wonder what his average could have been should he have played another 30-40 games on our shores.
Similarly, Damien Martyn averaged 46 on the road from 34 Tests. Allan Border averaged a remarkable 55 overseas from 68 Tests, while Steve Waugh averaged 55 from 78 games.
Steve Smith averages an amazing 75 at home, but has also been the business overseas, averaging 55, which is why he is being highly lauded as potentially the second best Australian batsman of all time.
So what is the solution for this situation of flat wicket and lopsided contests? From a pitch point of view, a radical solution, which does have some merit for mine, is reducing Test cricket to four days.
Mark Taylor, a Cricket Australia board member and respected commentator has championed this idea for the past couple of years.
I feel the way teams are playing now is generally more positive, with faster run rates and bowlers designed largely to take wickets, rather than contain.
This decision could also make Test cricket more attractive to ageing players, who now often sacrifice their International ambitions for T20 franchises.
Test cricket is competing more and more with Franchise T20, and needs to provide a genuine contest to get supporters fully locked in once again or the game will slowly die out. The game is over exposed around the world these days, with far too much cricket played, so we need to make sure each series has meaning and merit.
The Test Championship is a great concept, but now we need more balanced pitches to to get the longer version of the game thriving again, and ensure the best batsmen of today don’t have it all their own way.
John Erichsen
Roar Guru
Hopefully, the ICC's new pitch rating process will address this modern pitch problem. Effective, January 1st this new process sees a 'poor' pitch rating earn 3 penalty points. A total of 5 penalty points in a 5 year period resilts in that ground being suspended from the test roster for a 12 month period. In effect, two MCG test pitches like this most recent one in a 5 year period, and CA will have to find a different venue for the next Boxing Day test.
John Erichsen
Roar Guru
I agree that their bowling is stronger now thsn it was, but there are plenty of doubts about their batting on pitches with some grass and/or bounce. A single test series, 3 years ago, on some of the most road-like pitches ever seen in Australia isnt enough to be an accurate measure of what their batsmen can do here. Have a look at the current series in Souh Africa and see what the Indian top order is really like on foreign pitches. Want to make things hard for the 'strong' Indian top order? Have grass on the pitch and accept that the tests wont last 4 days. Of course, grass on the pitch could see us bundled out for 80 and a 3 day test. One way or another, it would be interesting to watch. I wonder if our admin have the balls to encourage some lively test pitches
Chris Love
Roar Guru
I’ve been saying this for a while too. The pitches need to change back to the old style, where in Brisbane and Perth you get bouncy fast decks. Sydney offers a little for the quicks in the first two sessions before the bats fill their boots and the spinners come into it. Adelaide the same as Sydney with green to start and spinners get plenty on day 5. Etc etc.. THis is not only a requirement to bring back fairness but a requirement for our shield teams to get the experience on different pitches long before being selected for national duty and having to tour. It should be on tour that one gets a rank turner, or a green top in England.
Simoc
Guest
Katich was a stop gap, limited batsman. Like Rogers a perimeter player brought in to fill a gap for a short period. Boring to watch, boring to listen to.
elvis
Guest
Finally! Comment of the year so far! Keep batters for baseball or fried fish.
Liam
Guest
I think you'll find that Murali Vijay averages 60.25 in Australia, Rahane 57, with Pujara being the odd one out with an average of 33.50 here; and that's without taking Kohli into account. Sure, they could be underwhelming, but Pujara's a completely different player now than he was then, as is Jadeja. At the moment, no-one wins away. Why are some here kicking up a fuss at the concept of India actually having players of note that will go okay here? Their issues here hasn't been the batting as much as their bowling, and their bowling is much improved. Couple that with our fragile middle order, and we'll have a far more difficult time of it than we have from them in the immediate past. I'm not saying they'll win. I'm saying it'll make for good watching.
John Erichsen
Roar Guru
We often don't reach 90 overs in a day, despite the extra half hour of play so the loss of overs could be even smaller. In the recent South Africa/Zimbabwe pink ball 4 day/night test, it was 98 overs per day but that seems too few to be a serious option. As for pitch deterioration, you could not possibly get less than what we experienced at the MCG Boxing Day Test this summer. I think that lack of natural wear and tear is what needs to be addressed with the use of drop in pitches. Sides are comfortably batting out the final day for draws at the MCG this summer, both in shield and test matches. That achievement shouldn't be as easy as it currently is.
John Erichsen
Roar Guru
Vijay averages 35 outside of India and Pujara the same, so they certainly aren't the danger they are on home soil. Kohli averages 45, which is tidy but well shy of his 65 at home, and Rahane has their best away from home average (53). However, since their last tour here, this South African series is only their second series (of 11) played outside the subcontinent. So, the reality is that nobody really knows how good the Indian batsmen are on foreign pitches. This year, with a few away series (Sth Africa, England, Australia) will be very telling for them and it hasn't started well. with losses on two very different looking South African pitches. Hopefully, when they tour here, we will see more traditional Aussie pitches and not the flat, rubbish we gifted them last time they toured. That series saw the following first innings scores Adelaide- Aust 5/517 India 444 Gabba- India 408 Aust 505 MCG- Aust 530 India 465 SCG- Aust 7/572 India 475 Only one bowler averaged less than 33 in a series where 15 centuries were scored in four tests. Not exactly a quality contest between bat and ball and the series achieved little other than overly inflating some batting averages. Still, probably better than the pitches for the New Zealand and West Indies series the following year. It seems the only real "test" pitch for batsmen is the pink ball matches.
matth
Guest
You are right. The key stat showing how great Smith currently is, is that his away average is higher than Root, Williamson and Kohli's overall averages. That is impressive.
matth
Guest
I found this a little confusing. How does reducing test matches to four days in itself reduce the flat pitches problem? Has the ratio of results vs. draws increased in recent years? Sure the aggregate runs have increased, however has this equalled draws or has it been due to fast scoring rates, or some other reason? How are our pitches flat roads when Australia bats, but not when the opposition bat? If the problem is that our pitches are roads, then how come South Africa tore us a new one last summer? If our away averages are so poor, because we are used to roads at home, why is the same trend (of much lower away averages than higher home averages) happening in all countries. Are they all preparing roads too? And if so, why aren't all averages, both home and away going up? I think you are confusing two issues into one here. Yes, there may be a tendency for 'CEO' pitches, reducing the attractiveness of games, but you are also bring in other problems like poor away performance that are more to do with lack of adequate preparation due to compressed international schedules, and have nothing to do with 'roads'. And I can;t see how either the pitch or the away performance issue is fixed somehow by reducing tests to four days.
I ate pies
Guest
They still won't be able to bowl on our pitches, and they'll still fold. History says so. They're like the Brazilian soccer team - they think it's their god given right to win, and they give up or blame the umpire when things don't go their way.
Linphoma
Guest
Very thoughtful piece, and equally thoughtful responses. But just what are the brethren expecting in an Australian Test match cricket wicket playing surface? I have another take on the state of the pitches served up during the recently completed series. Ask yourself, would Smith (and Lehmann, presuming the strategy was hatched with some planning involved) have employed the short strategy against the English tail and Moeen if spicy decks were the go? I was a bit embarrassed by Cummins spells late in the last Test when he was still bouncing the tail. I have bad days at the office and good days but I never come home and kick the cat. Its like watching baseliners bash it out when you can dream of the Australian Open played on grass where serve and volley and a bit of finesse was successful. If the pitches were spiced someone would have been killed, hospitalised or we'd be having a yarn about dangerous bowling. I'm not saying the flat decks was some conspiracy hatched between the Australian team and the ground staff or anything other possible theory. Australia winning 4-0 does not say that England had their chances in every match. Both sides were in it for every match at some stage. A result was determined in 4 out of the 5 Tests so shouldn't we be celebrating instead of moaning? Apart from Melbourne, were there any condemnation of the other four decks from home or visiting captains? They made their opinions known but at the end of the first day's play, did either captain come o0ut and say "This is rubbish"? I think with a recollection we might have heard Smith or Root mentioning they might have expected some more life at the end of day one but did either of them come out and offer downright criticism?
spruce moose
Guest
Pitch deterioration is precisely why we still need a 5th day. There are few things better than a day 5 rearguard on a minefield, or a bowler rattling through the order on the final day.
JamesH
Roar Guru
I don't disagree. It's just a possible solution to a situation where the number of draws increases due to having four day tests. Thankfully we're not there yet.
Darren
Guest
Brian I can’t work out what you are disagreeing with as your second sentence contradicts your first. I’m all for pitches having a bit of character - although I would say a lot of the examples used for great contests are tests that go for 3 days which isn’t such a test after all. I’m just saying don’t assume pitches with a bit more in it for the bowler will lead to less dead rubbers.
Linphoma
Guest
Mmm. I hope KFC are still sponsoring. That'll be finger lickin' good.
Brian
Guest
I disagree a pitch with life in it bring the two teams closer together. It allows one great spell to win a game as opposed to roads where the better team essentially can't lose and its just a matter of whether they can take 20 wickets. Adelaide was the only exciting game because England could have won
Brian
Guest
Its true so rarely are there good tests in Australia. Even rarer outside Adelaide. I can't remember the last really good one that wasn't in Adelaide. Maybe against Pakistan at the GABBA and that too was Day Night?
Liam
Guest
You think a bunch of blokes like that, pride and arrogance up to the wazoo, you think they're going to be content getting absolutely belted when we walked into their backyard and smashed them on a raging turner? We were a bee's you know away from winning that series; all we needed was some backbone from our middle order, and we'd have won the second test. We took them by surprise last time. They had every expectation - and every reason to think so - that our batsmen would fall apart at the seams, as has just so many Australian sides who tour India have. Make no mistake, they'll want revenge for that. It isn't just that, though, that has me keen as mustard for next summer. Mohammed Shami. Umesh Yadav. Ravindra Jadeja. Ravichandran Ashwin. Hell, as far as third quicks go, you could do worse in Australian conditions that Ishant Sharma, and if they've better/faster than him all to the better. The first two are as good a set of quicks as India have brought to our shores, and the next two are consistent match winners with the ball, and can bat on a road or if it's their day. Not just that, Murali Vijay is quality, is is Rahane, Pujara, Kohli; they've all the pieces of a great side. So what if they're pampered; you seen the private school system that produces the majority of the cricketers in this country? We stung them last time. They'll want to come here, and to beat us. India have never won here. This is their best shot, almost ever, between the quality in their squad versus ours, the embarrassment they felt when our spinners toppled theirs at home, and the fact that our worse side almost beat them at home. This has all the ingredients of a great series. Here's hoping they bring out a couple of lively wickets. It'll make an already captivating series even moreso.
jameswm
Guest
Yeah I was wondering that. 4 days of 105 over each makes 420 overs. Now we get 5 x 90 overs, so 450. Not a massive difference. Wouldn't we also see less pitch deterioration?