The overwhelming rhetoric that the Optus Stadium wicket will suit Australia’s bowlers over India’s conveniently ignores what happened in Adelaide and the pace qualities of the tourists in general.
Word of a green WACA reincarnation dropped into the middle of the plush new stadium has fans salivating. Bouncers flying over the keepers’ heads, chin music played on repeat – advantage Australia.
Dealing in facts, however, and it’s not so simple. According to data crunchers CricViz, Australia’s average pace was just one kilometre per hour faster than India during the Adelaide test (142.6km/h to 141.6km/h).
In all other metrics – average swing, average seam, ‘good line’ and ‘good length’ – India had the hosts’ measure.
Should they repeat those efforts in Perth, the troubles they will cause Australia’s batsmen will outweigh the impact Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood have on Virat Kohli and co.
While the data is insightful, it is hardly requisite to tell the story of the first Test.
We knew of India’s vast improvement in the pace department, but seeing – on home soil – is believing.
Their vaunted pace attack, with a depth better than it’s ever been, was simply more effective than the Aussie seamers.
For all the talk of the Australian pace trio’s ability to bump their opponents, a tactic used effectively against England last summer, the short ball yielded no Indian top-seven wickets.
On the flip side, its use by Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma arguably won India the game.
Shami’s short ball that successfully rushed Peter Handscomb at a key juncture late on Day 4 and forced the Victorian to play a placid pull straight to mid-wicket.
Even more pertinent was Ishant’s brutish bouncer into the gloves of Travis Head early on Day 5, which largely extinguished Australia’s remaining hope.
A foreign side – subcontinental nonetheless – out-bumping the Aussie bowlers? You wouldn’t read about it. Except now you are.
Jasprit Bumrah, who clocked the game’s fastest delivery at 153 kilometres per hour, has a unique action that hurries almost all batsmen.
His potential impact on a grassy Perth deck alone should temper fans’ excitement of a home rout.
Australia might get the 1970s-style WACA deck they’re after, but there’s no guarantee it will benefit them more than the tourists.
If curator Brett Sipthorpe delivers the wicket he’s promised, this will certainly create tough conditions for India’s batsmen.
For that, there’s no doubt, and the Aussie pace trio could cause havoc.
But whether the advantage it gives Australia is greater than the advantage India’s seamers can extract from the drop-in track is another question altogether.
Sipthorpe has also said it could be a short test due to the bowler-friendly conditions.
If this is the case, it’s not out of the question that Australia could roll India for under 200.
Along the same line, however, it’s equally easy to foretell India skittling the hosts for under 150 given its current batting travails.
On a separate note, the prospect of another low-scoring Test should excite Australian fans accustomed to dour decks in recent times.
Low-scoring Tests are consistently the most spellbinding, and it’s no coincidence the strong TV numbers from Adelaide came off the back off a bowler-dominated clash.
When they’re in the action, the game thrives.
Mitchell Starc emerged as the sole bowling worry for Australia out of Adelaide. His accuracy was well down, landing just 21.7 per cent of balls in CricViz’s ‘good line and length’ metric during overs 1-30.
This is considerably less than Cummins (34.7 per cent) and Hazlewood (44.7 per cent).
While he was far from his best in the series opener, bowling without consistency, he still struck twice with the new ball.
Questions of his place in the side are short-sighted and reactionary.
qwetzen
Roar Rookie
Agreed. Shifting the Gabba Test was a disgraceful act of subservience. But the "death of Oz cricket" can't be attributed to the BCCI, our own CA would be furlongs in front of them in that race. As a key piece of evidence of our decline how about this? The Oz top 6 in AB's debut Test of 78/9, a Packer-affected XI, was; Darling, Wood, Yallop, K. Hughes, Border & Toohey. While most of them were very partial to a brain freeze they had an 'average' technique that's significantly better than this current mob. It's taken careful planning by CA to get to where we are today.
anon
Roar Pro
We should be doctoring pitches because all the teams in Asia do it to get an advantage.
Riccardo
Guest
From the outside looking in I noticed a couple of things. You guys looked short of a gallop, rusty. Some poor shot selection in the face of some pretty good line and length. Shut up shop, bat time and the game will come to you. The bowling was better but still marginal; Indians are susceptible to the short quick stuff if it's properly done. Where was the chin-music? And worse, one end gets tied up by an accurate and threatening Lyon and the quick at the other end was a bowling at least one 4 ball an over. It's the pressure you create through accuracy and intimidation that allows the wickets to be taken, even it it's not your end getting them. Wagner for the Black Caps the perfect example. Speaking of intimidation; it's great to some spirit out there but the aggression with the ball, protect your wicket at all costs with the bat attitude seemed ameliorated. I think Australia will bounce back here. They should cope with the bounce better and India will miss Ashwin in the later stages. Jadeja is a handy option but the Indian seamers will have to be accurate on a pitch that will see the ball come onto the bat nicely. But both batting and bowling has to improve for the Aussies; Lyon can't continue to carry both...
Stin
Roar Rookie
Just pick Kurtis Patterson as short term batting coach to advise on how to handle that pitch.
DTM
Guest
"We've just been told make it fast, make it bouncy if you can and run with it," Sipthorpe said on Thursday. Who told him this? I thought curators were supposed to be independent and did not create wickets to suit anyone. Has the pitch been "designed" to suit Australia or India?
Bobby magee
Guest
i guess the death of cricket had nothing to do with sandpaper by Aussies doing it for money, greed and glory....All India's fault eh?...no nation is perfect so to blame one is laughable...
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Obviously the Indian seamers did well, Ishant in particular has improved, and our guys were a bit underwhelming. But let’s not get carried away, the Indians aren’t world beaters. Shami averages 47 in England, 35 in New Zealand and 33 in Australia. Ishant averages 58 in Australia, 40 in Sth Africa, 34 in England and 31 in New Zealand. I.e. very ordinary figures. It’s our batting rather than their bowling that was (and is) the issue. Will be interesting to see how they go without Ashwin tying down one end and turning the screw.
DTM
Guest
Not the best idea I've heard - surely a joke? The only person who might have challenged Pujara for MOM in Adelaide was Lyon - he took 8 wickets and had several catches dropped off his bowling. Of course, with the exception of Travis Head (84) and Shaun Marsh (62), Lyon scored more runs (62) than any other Australian batsmen (without being dismissed in either innings). At his last game at Optus Stadium, Lyon took 7/120. He will be the first picked.
anon
Roar Pro
Exactly. Starc isn't at his best, but he's still taking wickets. Shaun Marsh just had the worst run of an Aussie batsman in 130 years and no-one was really talking about dropping him despite being in his mid-30's and having fairly mediocre Test average of 35. The glaring problem right now is Finch as opener. He's not even good enough to open for his state side, yet he's opening for his country against one of the best Test team in the world. Dumb selection that cost us the First Test and likely the series.
anon
Roar Pro
The Perth pitch has been talked up every year for the past 15 years as harking back to the glory days of the 80's. Then it turns out to be flatter than a road or spin friendly by about day two.
slurpy
Roar Rookie
Bugger off David. All we need is our premier batsmen Nathan Lyon to convert his starts and there won't be an issue.
Merv
Guest
Back in around 1990 Jamie Siddons on a flight from Melbourne gave Merv Hughes a rev up before a shield game against WA. He basically questioned if Hughes was committed to Victoria and why he was a nice guy to his Aussie team mates. The response from Hughes was a ferocious spell of fast bowling with a one or two batsmen retiring hurt and others peppered on the body. I am not advocating for Mitch Starc to go out and injure and opponent but if he gets that kind of fire in his belly it will lift his bowling, batting and even the Aussies. There is the chance he will spray it all over the shop but he is the most suited of our bowlers to produce a fiery spell that would trouble the Indian batsmen
doug heffernan
Guest
Australia’s grand old game" - one that has been utterly ruined by India, money, greed and bowing down to the indian cricket board. Absolutely rotten. This summer = the death of Australian cricket. No funeral please.
qwetzen
Roar Rookie
Fair go cobber! I have been mentioning it. He's just under the scanner atm because Starc bowled so badly in Adelaide.
Jay
Guest
Starc may be out of form yet he still took 5-100 odd in the first test. That's a good return for any bowler let alone one that is out of form. Dropping him would be ridiculous considering our bowlers have been the main reason we have remained competitive lately.
Harvey Wilson
Roar Rookie
All the talk is about Starc's performances but in 2018, Hazlewood has less wickets than Starc, a worse average than Starc and an awful strike rate of 76. Where is his criticism?
Ouch
Roar Rookie
I believe Tremain has gone great guns this season at the WACA.
TheCunningLinguistic
Roar Rookie
I agree, qwetzen. He is worryingly out of form, Tremain should get the nod for this Test.
Bob
Guest
I would be far more concerned about the ability of our top 6 bats to contribute than any wasted words on Starc. Mitch Stark consistently performs very well and I confidently predict will continue to be a more valuable and contributing member of this team than any of the top 6 bats with the exception of Khawaja.
Paul
Roar Guru
So you'd drop arguably Australia's best bowler and a useful low order batsman for a untried quick and a hit and miss batsman? Not sure I can see what Australia gains, but can certainly see what we lose