Once again the country’s best wicket played host to an unforgettable spectacle, and now other grounds around the country need to follow suit.
On the surface the first Test between Australia and India – over before the second break on Day 3 – might appear to have concluded too quickly.
In a curator’s constant search for an ‘even battle between bat and ball’, had the Adelaide staff skewed too far to the latter?
Absolutely not.
In fact the absorbing contest once again belies the notion drop-in wickets are, by their nature, flat and lacking life.
That the first Test was over in such a short period of time was no reflection on the pitch, something the touring skipper said himself post-game.
“It’s a strange one to be honest because the ball didn’t do much,” Virat Kohli said after his side were routed for 36, India’s lowest ever Test score.
“They bowled similar lengths in the first innings as well and we were just better in terms of handling it and having a plan.”
(Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)
Post-play on the Friday evening – just after India had bowled Australia out for 191 – spinner Ravichandran Ashwin said the pitch would in fact get “better for batting” as the match progressed.
Less than two sessions later the Test was over.
The pitch offered both sideways movement for the quicks – even in the middle overs – and turn for the spinners from the outset.
It rewarded good technique and positivity with the bat and had no discernible ‘demons’.
In the end it provided a low-scoring encounter, but on most occasions low-scoring Test cricket equals entertaining cricket.
When every run counts, it’s difficult to turn away from the contest.
As Tim Paine was counterpunching with the Australian tail on Friday evening, single-handedly cutting down what could have been a sizeable first innings deficit, few eyes would have shifted from the screen.
Each quick single or leg bye was applauded.
It was a truly engrossing final session, which has become a rarity in Australian-hosted Test matches in recent years.
The match itself was set up perfectly before the carnage of Saturday afternoon.
Had India scratched their way to 120 in its second innings and set Australia 170-odd for victory in Adelaide, we might have been in for an all-time classic.
It wasn’t to be, but that was no fault of the curators, who once again have led the way and set the bar high.
It’s now imperative that other grounds around the country follow suit for the rest of the series, notably the MCG and SCG, which have served up mostly poor surfaces in recent years.
(Photo by Mark Brake – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)
Melbourne’s pitch for the New Zealand contest last year was an improvement on previous years’ diabolical decks for the India and Ashes series respectively.
But it was judged favourably because of these poor years – the bar was low and the only way was up.
Sure, it was better, but a great pitch it wasn’t.
Speaking after the Adelaide Test, Pat Cummins spoke glowingly of the Adelaide surface. And given the polite Cummins rarely offers up forthright opinions, his assessment of recent MCG wickets spoke volumes.
“I thought the Ashes Test and the Indian Test at the MCG a couple of years ago were pretty flat and boring wickets as a bowler,” he said.
The Australian vice-captain added that the Adelaide deck was the perfect formula for Test cricket.
“Not only as a player but as a fan, they are the best wickets – when it is good battle between bat and ball. You feel like if you do your skill well, you can have a big impact on the game.”
The SCG too needs to improve – should it see off COVID threats and host the third or fourth Test.
While it hasn’t helped that Sydney has not hosted a ‘live’ Test – that is, with both teams still in the series hunt – since 2004, the surface itself has rarely inspired.
While attritional and entertaining Test cricket aren’t mutually exclusive – as we saw on Day 1 in Adelaide – too often at the SCG has Test cricket skewed heavily to the former.
While the hope is of lively wickets in Melbourne and Sydney, the possibility it may play to (recent) form means Cameron Green will play an even more important role for the Aussies as the fifth bowling option.
Green was excellent in the first innings in Adelaide, and his 8-10 probing overs per day going forward will prove invaluable for Paine to avoid overworking his pace trio on flatter surfaces.
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
Wanderers?… Competed with the WACA anytime..And like the WACA actual effort being put in to ” neutralise”…. Very sad.
Anton
Roar Rookie
Good bowler :shocked:. Decent state bowler at best,
Kalva
Roar Rookie
I actually like pitches that offer a bit to pace bowlers...as it brings Indian bowlers into the match. They struggle on flat tracks...the problem is though that great batsmen like Tendulkar and Dravid would adapt to the different pitches...the current ones can't quite do it... but I do enjoy seeing flat track bullies from other teams including Australia come a cropper on such pitches as well!
matth
Roar Guru
I've actually felt the Gabba has started to deteriorate in recent years. It's not as seam friendly and hasn't broken up over the five days, but also hasn't been great for scoring quickly either.
Kopa Shamsu
Guest
What's your understanding of good wicket to india? :laughing: :laughing:
Kalva
Roar Rookie
Doug the Rug was a good bowler but in that match where he was toiling away on a flat wicket, England bowled Aus out for 200odd on day 1 which suggests that there was more to that match than just a flat wicket
Christo the Daddyo
Roar Rookie
If there were people who walked out after a single hour I would suggest they were never going to watch any more than that. And if you thought the bowling was "average" I would respectfully suggest you haven't watched much Test cricket.
Kalva
Roar Rookie
If India collapses, its because they are hopeless and can't play in Australia.. if India does well, it's because the bcci and tv sponsors have demanded a 5 day Test!
Kalva
Roar Rookie
My understanding of the article is that a good Test wicket is one in which the Aussie fast bowlers get wickets on and Australia wins.
Naughty's Headband
Roar Rookie
Yes it was. That’s the point.
Tempo
Roar Rookie
Sadly the Waca pitch was a shadow of its former self over the last 15 years, serving up some awful roads during that time. Was a thing of beauty watching the ball thud into the wicketkeepers gloves (or sometimes over his head!) off a genuinely quick bowler back in the day, then watching the enormous cracks open up down the pitch on Days 4 and 5. I think the new Perth Stadium is quicker than the Waca these days (quicker than the current Waca that is - not the Waca of 20+ years ago).
bungeye
Roar Rookie
"Aussies" cannot claim bias, when Cricket Australia are trying their darnest to neutralise cricket pitches for some time now! The Gabba provided a great platform for the start of summer -- now an after thought. No longer do we play at the Waca ground, which was known worldwide as the quickest pitch in the world.
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
That’s the problem with ‘fans’ wanting everything served up in a dish, quick. Test cricket is an epic encounter, the full novel not a blurb. One must ride the highs and lows and have a feel for the ebb and flow of the match. IMO T2o and ODI don’t have a patch on the real thing, as proven by the need to tweak rules for ‘more excitement’. Also, ‘semi-decent’ bowling?? When have you last seen bowling that good?
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
I thought it was an awesome test. Something there for the batsmen if positive and something for the bowlers.
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
As a South African who follows Aus cricket, it’s perplexed me as the historical varience between pitches has been as you say homogenized… I always thought those varied pitches were a big factor in Aus domination of World cricket.. It exposes domestic cricketers to different challenges week in and out.. I don’t think, I know that it’s been a huge factor in my own SA team The Proteas being able to punch above their weight for so long, especially when touring abroad.. Now we like Aus and this is probably a side effect of T20 have a whole generation of cricketers being raised on batting friendly pitches.. Already our cricket in decline.
Nick
Roar Guru
It's a coin toss isn't it? The most frequent day of a result is day 4, and you want people there on the Sunday to see it...not on a Monday or Tuesday. If tests go the journey then days 4 and 5 are on Monday and Tuesday which is arguably worse than day 1 and 2 being on the week days.
JamesH
Roar Guru
Yeah, I'm not convinced the pitch was that great. Not because it favoured the bowlers but because it was a hard pitch to play shots on. The pace and bounce was too variable. Kohli and Paine worked out that the best attacking shots on that deck were little punches, rather than full-blown drives and cuts. I enjoy seeing seam movement and swing but I also like seeing batsmen get value for shots when the bowlers err. That just didn't happen in Adelaide.
johnb
Guest
The 244 was with the best of the conditions, but because the pitch was far from a good one scoring at not much more than 2 an over for most of the first day, and while India got to a deceptively strong looking position of 3-188, the innings had been scratchy much of the time to that point and the score could have been much worse. While the first part of the night session went ok for the batting team because the pink ball goes soft, there was plenty of misbehaviour in the last few overs with the new ball. The pitch then seemed to do a lot on the second morning, albeit with the Indian tail batting so it might just have been one of those things that 4 wickets fell in a heartbeat. Australia then got 191, true, but it could have been many fewer if one or two of some pretty simple catches had been taken. The 36 all out was certainly freakish and wasn't all down to the pitch - but the ball was seaming off the pitch regularly and there was a bit of uneven bounce. And let's not forget the game finished well before tea on day 3. That's just not either a balanced contest or a good pitch. Now whether you blame the pink ball (and the need to trick up the pitch so it lasts) or the pitch itself is another matter. To me, until the pink ball is fit for purpose so there isn't a need to leave far more grass on the pitch than normally would be the case, day night tests are a lottery.
Dexter The Hamster
Roar Rookie
The ball was pink.
Dexter The Hamster
Roar Rookie
Some might say its a "rich tapestry".....