let's have a ball then...

shared by straight point on Saturday, July 31, 2010

recently a side got out to 88 runs and had it not being the ineptness of the team that bowled them out... the match would have been over in 2 and a half days...

yesterday another team came close to get bowled out to even less... it didn't... yet even after the bad light stoppage and a wicket keeper standing as 12th man for opposition team... the match could still be over in three days...

i saw as many as seven fielders in the slip cordon and wicket taking was not an event anymore... run making was...

cut to ssc...

the wickets were at premium there... the premium was so high that captains... even before bowlers... stopped thinking about purchasing them and let batters collect as many freebies as possible... how high the premium on wickets was can be proved by the fact that... one captain... sangakkara was seen having sweepers on even for no.10 and 11 batsmen... yet some call him attacking captain but that's beside the point...

on one pitch batsmen were there to just go and edge it to the gleefully waiting seven slip fielders... and on another fielders were employed as far from batsmen as possible to stop run making...

while in both cases there was just no competition between bat and ball... yet its only the ssc pitch which draws the criticism...

so correct me if i am wrong... it can be safely concluded that yawning draws on five days on flat pitches are test match killers... but a lottery of a pitch where 'who can pitch ball straight to get wicket'... where 'match' is as good as over in almost half days allotted for 'test'... actually saves the test cricket...

16 comments:

Mahek said...

Maybe you missed the 200+ partnership in that test. Or the ease with which Strauss and Trott batted before that. There was a contest between bat and ball. The pitch is not to blame for Pakistan's inexperienced lineup or the overcast conditions. Maybe you'd like the ICC to ban venues which have overcast conditions then?

straight point said...

and here only the other day you were arguing against sachin to get MoM coz his innings was 'chancy'...

lol!

achettup said...

I don't understand what you're trying to say SP... There were 300+ runs scored on day one for the loss of 4 wickets, on day two 170 runs were scored for the loss of 15 wickets (64 overs). So we should be criticizing the pitch's sudden deterioration, based on the fact that 15 wickets fell? What if it had nothing to do with the pitch, but as in a discussion we had before, how exposed batsmen today are as soon as the ball starts swinging because they are so used to being fed on pitches like the SCC.
I would have thought that you know as well as anyone else who watched the match that the quality of bowling was far superior to the quality of batting, and the pitch had nothing to do with making the conditions harder, there was no uneven bounce. Lets be fair, just because a bad pitch was produced in Asia and deserved criticism, it doesn't mean we should shout hypocrisy at another for the sake of it. This only dilutes the argument when there are real such cases to highlight.

straight point said...

ach have i defending ssc...?

to me its the same thing as knowing the match will be draw... hence no interest...

had kamaran not played his part on more than one occasion we would be saying good bye to this match on second day itself... as if there is still doubt left...

achettup said...

SP, are you honestly saying that you believe it is the pitch and not the overcast conditions which in conjunction with the fact that both bowling attacks are vastly superior to their oppositions batting line ups will ensure on a fair pitch they will always have the upper hand, which has the problem. Exactly what behavioral characteristics of this pitch make it impossible for batsmen to score runs of it? Are there massive cracks, does the ball keep low or bounce sharply?
Why was it that Pakistan's bowlers, who most people consider the best bowling attack going around, struggled to get rid of Moin and Collingwood for so long when the sun was out? Its not as if Kamran dropped them every second over, is it? I'm sorry, I just don't agree with you on this... if the sun is out the pitch dries out a bit we might be complaining about how good the batting conditions are...

Freehit said...

You are absolutely write in saying that such pitches are test match killers.I think almost every pitch in SL is like this,and the Lankan brand of cricket is a disgrace to test cricket.

straight point said...

achettup... if it were only the overcast conditions that led to wickets fall the way it did... why not the same was observed in galle when for first two days there were overcast conditions...?

our bowling in sri lanka may not be as good as pak but still...

kamran dropped sitters and missed as easiest chance as one can see of stumping in very early part of both strauss and morgan... didn't we saw once they were removed how england capitulated...?

straight point said...

do not only blame sl board mayank... icc is as much part of it... after all the broadcaster money is far too much important... :)

achettup said...

This discussion is going nowhere SP, you refuse to answer what it is about the pitch's nature that makes it difficult to bat one, while you seem to be saying if the batsmen get an early let off then suddenly they are "in" on this pitch well enough to put on a 200+ partnership. Makes no sense to me, if the pitch is _that_ bad that the game should have ended in two days, then we should have seen them giving chances every 3rd or 4th ball... didn't happen.
You've answered your own question about why the conditions weren't exploited in Galle.. our bowlers were crap until day three when Ishant actually used the little bit of cloud cover and troubled Jayawardene. The question about why overcast conditions help bowlers is an interesting one though, it is assumed that they aid swing but there is no scientific reason for this, the aerodynamicist I spoke to was convinced it was psychological.
Freehit, your comment on "Sri Lanka's brand of cricket being a disgrace" deserves condemnation. Did you have the same views on the way we prepared pitches for a significant proportion of test cricket. We have made plenty of run-a-thons in India which has seen batsmen plunder runs and then rely on close fielders to spinners prising out batsmen who are not as good against spin. In recent times, our depleted spin attack and better batting from opposition has undermined this strategy. A few pitches in recent times in India have offered seamers assistance early, but by and large we haven't employed dissimilar tactics. Do you think the Indian brand of cricket is a disgrace?

straight point said...

while you seem to be saying if the batsmen get an early let off then suddenly they are "in" on this pitch well enough to put on a 200+ partnership.

i have not said that anywhere...

you are right that our bowling was crap but still they should have extracted some movement... may be the juice that is deliberately left in the pitch could be the reason? tho its just a calculated guess... :)

Mahek said...

Did I call his innings chancy or did I say he was dropped on 29 while Nangakkara's innings was chanceless?

Freehit said...

achettup...i do find test cricket in India very boring apart since hardly few ppl turn up,the pitches being flat apart from maybe Mohali and Kanpur.But reason test cricket in Sl is a disgrace is because SSC has had this same pitch for many many years....there players sanga n jayawardena have made tons of runs and the toss has become so crucial in these games.I dnt knw of any pitch in Sl,which provides any assistance.Atleast in India,places like Chennai and Mohali have reverse swing,which makes the game far far more interesting.So even though most matches in India are no where close to as exciting as those in England or Australia,but they are still far better than SL

achettup said...

places like Chennai and Mohali have reverse swing
Really? What is this reverse swing you're talking about, an upside-down/inverted playground accessory? Since you haven't quite grasped the concept of swing (conventional, reverse or contrast), I would recommend holding back further displays of ignorance to justify your preconceived prejudice.
You arguments of the toss being crucial don't seem to reflect in the results... In the last ten (many many) years Sri Lanka have lost the toss but won 7 times at the SSC. They have only lost one match after losing the toss, to Australia in 2004 (who didn't the Aussies beat in that period, home or away), and drawn two matches...
You're entitled to your opinion of what you consider exciting cricket to be, even if you choose to ignore the increasingly run-friendly pitches in Australia, as well as voice your thoughts on Sri Lanka's brand of cricket being a disgrace. Understand though that this speaks volumes about yourself rather than the countries you choose to belittle/praise.

Freehit said...

well achettup,reverse swing is not all about working on the ball,it does need help from conditions.
Besides,what I like about Australia and England is crowds turning up to watch the game.Even opposition players get a standing ovation when they perform,thats what I enjoy.And come on,Australia has pitches like Perth and besides almost every pitch excpet Adelaide provides assistance.

Mahek said...

People going to games in England and Australia? The fourth day of the Eng-Pak test had an expected attendance of 6,000. On a Sunday. With England assured of winning that day. Watch the recent tests from Down Under and notice how the MCG was only half full on Boxing Day. Notice how few people were there to watch Australia beat South Africa and Pakistan at the SCG.

English venues have lower capacity so they look full even with a crowd of 15,000. Put that many in the Eden Gardens and it would look haunted.

Freehit said...

Yes,as such number of people are decreasing,but you compare that too venues in India and Sri lanka where test matches are being held.Mohali and Nagpur are grounds which are completely empty.There are hardly any people coming to watch these games.Similar is case with Sri Lanka inspite of the grass banks having free entry.
Yes,Eden Gardens have better crowd turn ups,but Eden Gardens hasn't hosted a test match for quite a while now,whether that is BCCI's fault or some reconstruction going on.

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