David Warner has divided the nation this week. A referendum may not yet be out of the question.
Yes, 335* is a magnificent score, against a Test attack armed with a pink ball, under clouds, under lights. Another brick in the pantheon of Warner’s run-scoring feats.
Shane Warne gushed that ten of Warner’s 23 Test centuries have come on the first day of a Test.
And yet there are those who hesitated to laud this accomplishment.
Statistically, they could recognise the uniqueness of Warner, but something held them back: a gut feel, an aversion. To the man himself or to his achievements? It was hard to tell.
But Warner didn’t just divide a nation, he divided actual sports fans within themselves, torn between heart and head. Why?
I’ve reflected on this over the last few days as I have dipped in and out of the online debates. I wanted to rejoice for Warner as much as I did Steve Smith gorging during the Ashes.
(Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)
I do not fall on the side of those who will never forgive the Cape Town three. They’ve done their time. Water under the bridge.
But I do keep coming back to that Ashes series. When Australia needed him most, Warner didn’t turn up. And it is not the first time that this has happened overseas.
There can be no doubt that not all Test runs are equal. When asked to cite their favourite innings, many Test batsmen recall a 60 or 70 made on a dodgy pitch rather than their big hundreds flayed against tired, inexperienced or submissive attacks.
Quantity has a quality all of its own but it is not often associated with greatness.
Greatness comes with performing at your best at the biggest moments. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal wouldn’t be where they are if their best tennis was played against the world number 50 in the first round of Indian Wells. Tiger Woods wouldn’t be who he is if wasn’t sinking clutch putts late on a Sunday at Augusta.
With greatness, as in batting, timing is crucial.
Like it or love it, Warner’s mammoth innings highlighted a greater problem in Australian cricket. In Adelaide, as Australia’s score rolled past 300 for the loss of one wicket, commentators of various channels of persuasion were telling us that this was “great cricket”, “exciting cricket”. It wasn’t.
It was ruthless, clinical and methodical batting. But it was an uneven contest and therefore it was the antithesis of great cricket.
Great cricket, the cricket that keeps you wide awake at 2am even though you have a 7am start the next day, relies on an even contest between bat and ball. A repeated, individual joust between bowler and batsman; in the sixth over or in the 60th over.
To give this the greatest chance of occurring, every ball delivered must have the chance to do one of three things: deviate left, deviate right or go straight on. Whether that is through spin, swing, seam or drift does not matter. That it occurs is down to four elements: conditions, bowlers’ skills, ball and pitch.
The first two we can rule out as we have no influence on them. But to consistently produce an entertaining, evenly contested product, Cricket Australia must firstly introduce the Dukes ball into the Test matches the host – or at least induce Kookaburra to steal Dukes’ magic sauce and start producing an identical ball.
Secondly, something needs to be done about our pitches. Great batting wickets are not great cricket wickets.
Meanwhile, congratulations to David Warner. 335 not out. Six more than Michael Clarke. One more than Mark Taylor and Donald Bradman. Second only to Matthew Hayden’s 380 against Zimbabwe.
Matthew Hayden and David Warner, two names that will be forever linked in the history of Australian batting.
Riccardo
Roar Rookie
Righto Micko...
Micko
Roar Rookie
If you're referring to that two test series just played in NZ, it was part of a pre-arranged future tours program, and not the new test championship. Two test series are part of the Test championship, and NZ already played a Test championship series against Sri Lanka a few months ago.
matth
Roar Guru
That’s nothing to do with being a weak opponent and everything to do with commercial considerations. They don’t rate as well or draw the crowds here like other teams.
matth
Roar Guru
Yep, Ambrose tore us to pieces on that WACA strip, but then Gilchrist hit Australia’s fastest ever hundred. Great pitch
anon
Roar Pro
Davey is a ripper on flat tracks. Averages 9 if there's a bit of seam.
bigbaz
Roar Guru
Most batsmen do, just they don't score 300s on them.
dungerBob
Roar Rookie
I didn't think the ball was swinging all that much in the ashes tbh. There was some swing but it didn't seem to be going like it was on the previous tour. It was cutting and jagging a fair bit but couldn't that be due to the lateness in the season and the worn decks as much as the ball.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Very true. I wonder how much Warner not owning up to being the instigator played in this?
Jeff
Roar Rookie
"Gidday mate" You must be a Kiwi..? Although "Gudday" may have been apropros. Anyways, "G'day" to you also! :thumbup:
Jeff
Roar Rookie
"Players react differently to shame and embarrassment and redemption for some takes time. " As does not having played a FC cricket match for nearly 18 months...
anon
Roar Pro
Davey loves a flat track.
Paul
Roar Guru
I remember DK Lillee taking 8 for 29 against the Rest of the World, on the fastest pitch I think I've ever seen then a few seasons later a bloke named Fredricks scored one of the best hundreds I've ever seen against Lillee, Thompson, Gilmour & Walker. You're right, the WACA favoured the quicks, but if you were good enough, you could cash in as a batsman too.
Riccardo
Roar Rookie
Gidday mate. Test Wickets are the domain of the host and that's a part of the game too. So, no. But... gearing towards that contest must be a consideration I guess. I remember the WACA pitch fondly. It may have favoured the quicks but also came onto the bat. Ergo... the contest between bat and ball was closer. Australian pitches have changes a bit alright but you blokes still take 20 wickets on them!
Raimond
Roar Guru
I don’t get the fetishisation of the Duke ball. Plenty of big scores racked up when conditions are good for batting.
Ryan
Roar Rookie
I have thought about that. Not completely sure. We do have a world class attack (Though Yasir, test average around 14, managed a ton.) For some reason it is just very hard to win away from home.
jameswm
Roar Guru
I keep coming back to this but if the Aussie pitches are so flat and docile, how come the Aussie attack seem to have few problems taking 20 wickets and winning games?
Ryan
Roar Rookie
I definitely don’t want standardised pitches across the globe. I’m in favour of the pitches that give something to the spinners on days 4 and 5 as the SCG used to as you point out. Love the test of subcontinent pitches, spin and then later reverse swing, and the swing and seam of England.
Paul
Roar Guru
Not sure I agree with this statement Ryan. I like Australian pitches favouring the quicks and in equal measure I like the sub-continent pitches favouring the spinners. This obviously means our guys should do well in Oz and only the very best do well in India, etc and vice versa. That said, we used to have some pitches, eg the SCG, that offered something for everyone, but that seems to have disappeared as curators struggle to produce the roads needed for T20 as well a competitive 5 day track
Paul
Roar Guru
Just wanted to clarify one point Ricardo. You wrote "As the game becomes more global we also need to consider a standard ball as well as pitch preparation". You're not suggesting standard pitch preparation across different countries, I assume? Your point about the WC pitches is spot on and I reckon a lot of that had to do with the ICC being the ones who told curators what THEY wanted. I don't know how much say they have in Test pitch preparation ( I suspect not a lot), but perhaps that's something they need to also take on board? It would hopefully get rid of the roads that some Australian pitches have turned into.
Paul
Roar Guru
Or the bowlers are good enough, the fielding side's able to exert tons of pressure and the fielding skipper has the tactical nous to manufacture a result from a pitch that would ordinarily be termed a batsman's paradise. By the way, I hope you put in a few more pieces. If this first ones anything to go by, they should be good reads.