Pitch performance

In cricket, the pitch tests the skill of both, batsman and bowler, notes RITAM MITRA.

More than in any other sport, the outcome of a match of Test cricket is extremely dependent upon the toss.  This is, in turn, a result of the increasingly common one-sided pitches which offer little to no assistance to bowlers, as we (unfortunately) had to witness in the recent Test series between the now all-too-frequent opponents, India and Sri Lanka. However, alongside these subcontinent clashes, it was a breath of fresh air to see Mohammad Asif and Aamer terrorising the Australian and English batting line ups in England (albeit with Stuart Broad and James Anderson returning the favour to the Pakistani batsmen in an embarrassing fashion). As we will examine in this piece, drawing parallels between the pitches in these two countries brings up extremely revealing details.

Let’s begin with the raw statistics. In the five matches played on the subcontinent this year, the average amount of runs scored per wicket is, unfortunately for the bowlers, an unforgiving 48.73. It is incredible that four of these matches even had results – this is attributable largely, of course, to the ability of the batsmen from Sri Lanka, South Africa and India to score runs at a brisk pace (in other words, Sehwag). Can we blame this on meagre bowling attacks? If we consider Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Zaheer Khan and Lasith Malinga as the pacemen, along with Murali, Harbhajan and Mendis as the spinners, then not really; in these men, we have a group of bowlers who would make any World XI on their day.

In matches in England in 2010, we see that figure drop to a more reasonable and much more competitive 26.81 in six matches, all with results. It’s true that the Duke cricket ball, which is used in matches hosted by England, swings more proficiently and later than the Kookaburra, used by the rest of the world. But of utmost importance to this disparity in averages are the pitches in England which are much greener, and thus assist fast bowlers much more than the dry dustbowls produced in the subcontinent.

It is, of course true, that traditionally the dry pitches in India and Sri Lanka, along with less frequent hosts Pakistan and Bangladesh, have assisted spin bowlers later in a Test match. Cracks in the pitch open up, and rough is created by footmarks from the faster bowlers, which aids turn enormously. It is also true that the climates in these countries make it more difficult for curators to create a fair pitch for fast bowlers. However, while the average runs per wicket in the past ten years in subcontinental Test matches is a respectable 35.40, the past two years have seen bowlers concede nearly 42 runs a wicket. This is an alarming trend, which has implications not only on the entertainment value of the cricket enthusiast, but on the very talent of the players themselves.

While the average runs per wicket in the past ten years in subcontinental Test matches is a respectable 35.40, the past two years have seen bowlers concede nearly 42 runs a wicket

Just ten or fifteen years ago, the world was blessed with quality fast bowlers such as Walsh, Donald, McGrath, Pollock, Gillespie, Vaas, Gough and Srinath, among many others, playing at the same time. Test cricket was ridiculously lucky in this period, and we are only suffering from the loss of these bowlers because new ones just don’t seem to emerge as readily. Batting strength, on the other hand, is just as strong around the world today as it was back then.

Taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture, cricket is evolving in big ways, and fast. Most of these changes are geared towards batsmen – there already seems to be a mentality to “err on the side of the batsmen” with the pitches. On top of this, boundaries are being brought in, bats are being made thicker and bigger, and the benefit of the doubt is given to the batsmen, even with vastly improved technology. If Test cricket is truly seen by the administrators to be “dying”, there can be no excuse for pitches such as the SSC in Colombo being given international importance.

Inflated batting averages are only a small example of the effects of these pitches. With all due respect, for example, Samaraweera’s test average belies his ability – with an average near 54, he sits above Lara, Steve Waugh, Allan Border and Gavaskar; put any four of these batsmen up against a genuinely fast bowler in a seaming, swinging atmosphere to save your Test match, however, and there would be little confusion over whom to leave out.

Test pitches around the world have their own characteristics, which is ideal for creating a world game where each country can play to its strengths at home. However, there is a difference between created home advantage and batsman advantage. Test cricket hinges upon a contest between bat and ball, and with no contest there can be no match. Watching a great spell of fast bowling carries with it a very special kind of magic – it lingers much longer in one’s memory than the innumerable centuries scored by whoever shows up to bat. Dead pitches continue to spell the death of fast bowling, and at this rate in fifteen years’ time we will still be searching for the next McGrath…