if south africa wants to level the series... admitted south african coach mickey arthur before the start of the final test at wanderers and he did not mince words on what south africa will gamble if they have to level the series with england... the 'green top' pitch to encash home advantage...
it was no coincidence that ten wickets fall on the opening day at wanderers with ball swinging and seaming from the first ball... and there was every possibility of another wicket or two had the day's play was not cut short coz of rain or poor light...
now imagine the furor it would have created in 'save test cricket' nations had the subcontinent captain or coach flaunted the 'home' advantage so openly in a press conference before the start of a final test after trailing 1-0 in the series and asked for a spinning track as the measure of 'desperation' to level the series... and had the ball spun from first ball and ten wicket would have fallen to spinners on day one...
instead what we see is these experts are falling over one another in singing praise for steyn on how brilliantly he bowled at wanderers... though its another matter they doubt the very spinner's skill saying any spinner worth its salt can run through the side under helpful spinning conditions on dry pitches...
talk about in depth analysis of these so called 'experts' on a mission to save test cricket...
it's desperation time...
shared by straight point on Friday, January 15, 2010
But for that DAMN Pitch...
shared by straight point on Monday, April 14, 2008
so the distraction from IPL is over now...
i heard murmurs about pitch and how the pitch was the reason for the defeat of saffers...
lets have a look...
if you collapse from 151-1 to 265 out on first day will you blame pitch...then how you were at 150 odd for a loss of single wicket...good batting?
if you field like you did...on second day...dropping catches like hot potatoes...infact dropping gangly when he was around 40...who later went on to become highest scorer of the match...
even after so much of generosity...you came close to bowling opposition out without much of a lead...good bowling?
you allow tailenders to weave a partnership of around 50...on the same damn pitch...carrying on with the generosity you showed previous day...bad bowling? fielding?
then you allow that last wicket partnership to screw your head so much that there was nothing left in it...collective brain numbing and you all simply freeze...
see i didn't even used the word c-h-o-k-e-d...
so you batted badly...bowled badly and fielded badly...why?
oh...i remember...that damn pitch...
