Best and worst wickets in Australia
- Thread starter Ciderhound
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LukeParkerno1
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1. Adelaide Oval (no surprise it's the d/n test where it gives the bowlers something)
2. SCG- fair wicket for everyone. Enough in there for bowlers, turn late, and you can score runs if you apply yourself.
3. Bellerive Oval- the lower scores makes for good cricket.
4. GABBA- hasn't been as good lately, but generally a decent wicket
5. MCG- there aren't too many draws, that's a positive, but drop in pitches for me offer very little in general.
6. WACA- a diabolical disaster in the last 10 years.
2. SCG- fair wicket for everyone. Enough in there for bowlers, turn late, and you can score runs if you apply yourself.
3. Bellerive Oval- the lower scores makes for good cricket.
4. GABBA- hasn't been as good lately, but generally a decent wicket
5. MCG- there aren't too many draws, that's a positive, but drop in pitches for me offer very little in general.
6. WACA- a diabolical disaster in the last 10 years.
LukeParkerno1
Post-Human
Yes...and it's a D/N test. That helps a LOT! Curators need to give the bowlers something. I have always said that there is little wonder why our bowlers are breaking down so much- they are having to put so much excess effort into getting anything out of a pitch. It's gotten beyond a joke. If the curators can't do that, then make every test a pink ball test until they do.
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Yeah watched Norman Cowans shoot out our blokes with grubbers at the G in the famous Border/Thommo partnership test.
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Been to the MCG countless times. No interest in taking a week off work just to watch cricket there. And maybe MCC wankers get the same seats everyday but normal people don't.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_cricket_team_in_Australia_in_2014–15
This series sums up my thoughts on the Australian pitches. It would be more cost effective for Channel 9 to just play 5 tests in the same venue and render different graphics over the grandstands etc.
This series sums up my thoughts on the Australian pitches. It would be more cost effective for Channel 9 to just play 5 tests in the same venue and render different graphics over the grandstands etc.
PintSzedSlasher
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Was a ridiculously quick and bouncy wicket, even Johno and Noffke were sending them down, great to watch from side on. Orams innings very entertaining too.
Historically the best in order
WACA - Fast Bowling heaven but very good batsman could still score runs. Billiard table outfield.
Gabba - Good Bowling pitch also that became a batsmans dream day 2-4.
SCG - Batting friendly pitch for first 3-4 days with spin being prominent last 2 days.
Adelaide - Batting heaven is all Adelaide could be described as, declarations needed for results. Bowling graveyard.
MCG - Pretty average pitch for many years, up and down bounce, difficult to bat and bowl on.
Modern times with administration and TV interference directives to produce roads then the following,
Gabba
Adelaide
SCG
WACA
MCG
WACA - Fast Bowling heaven but very good batsman could still score runs. Billiard table outfield.
Gabba - Good Bowling pitch also that became a batsmans dream day 2-4.
SCG - Batting friendly pitch for first 3-4 days with spin being prominent last 2 days.
Adelaide - Batting heaven is all Adelaide could be described as, declarations needed for results. Bowling graveyard.
MCG - Pretty average pitch for many years, up and down bounce, difficult to bat and bowl on.
Modern times with administration and TV interference directives to produce roads then the following,
Gabba
Adelaide
SCG
WACA
MCG
The curators can do it and want to do it, they are not allowed to do it.
Ciderhound
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I remember Warne as a commentator babbling on about the integrity of Australian curators and how they wouldn't let any external forces dictate how to prepare their wickets. (Unlike those nasty cheating indians)
Always knew he was full of s**t. Curators in australia have been whores on retainer for channel for donkeys years.
- Mar 25, 2003
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Agreed with most Adelaide has really become a great spectacle. Was getting too batsmen friendly there through the 2000's and around that, but the last five years has been - helped by the day-night games really bringing the bowlers in.
Also agreed with most the Melbourne wicket has just been s**t for some time now. No life in it for the bowlers, not great values for shots batsmen but they'll just rack up runs if they put even the most menial price on their wicket. There was a period (around 2000 from memory) where it was quite a bouncy wicket and was good for all involved but those days are long gone now. It's like watching cricket on clay now.
Also agreed with most the Melbourne wicket has just been s**t for some time now. No life in it for the bowlers, not great values for shots batsmen but they'll just rack up runs if they put even the most menial price on their wicket. There was a period (around 2000 from memory) where it was quite a bouncy wicket and was good for all involved but those days are long gone now. It's like watching cricket on clay now.
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LOL is BigFooty state parochialism extending to the 22 yard strip in the middle now?
In any case just looking for results is hardly the most compelling measurement of a pitch. And even if it were most Australian grounds fare roughly the same in regards to results. 20 draws in the country since 1997/98 of which 6 were rain interrupted (3 in Brisbane - 2001/02, 2003/04 and 2012/13 the latter would unlikely have produced a result anyway), 2 in Hobart - 1997/98 and 2001/02, 1 in Sydney - 2015/16). Non rain-interrupted draws at each ground Adelaide 4, Brisbane 2 (likely 3), Sydney 2, Perth 3, Melbourne 2, Hobart 0, Cairns 1. Much the same really for all grounds. Most people found the AO far too batsmen friendly up until the last few years.
And in any case good cricket judges base a quality cricket pitch on whether it brings maximum values for a bowlers skills and value for shots for batsmen. The slow dead nature of the MCG wicket does not do this and has made for pretty tedious cricket for some time now. Lets hope they've sorted it out this year. It would be great to see the strip representative of the Boxing day test match occasion, and that occasion is something worthy of state parochialism because it's the crowd that makes it.
Doss
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That summer is widely regarded as the deadest, well, ever in Australia in terms of just how many roads there were.
Can't help but feel it wasn't a coincidence that it was when India toured, and even more so in light of their previous tour in 2011-12 having a couple quite spicy decks and the utter flogging that India copped in that '11-12 series.
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It was a dull series. Highest aggregate of runs scored in a series of 4 tests or fewer and Hazlewood (who played 3 tests) was the only bowler to average under 30 with 29.3. That's not interesting cricket, that's batting practice. One wicket every 75 balls or something overall.
Batsmen humming along easily scoring 3-4 an over is exactly what people don't want to see. That's ODI middle overs territory, and ODIs are on the nose. T20 is huge because the par scoring rate is usually about 8 runs an over, and in 40 overs you usually see about 10 wickets, give or take. Test cricket is huge because of the history and tradition and it's engaging. Shaun Marsh hit 115 off 69 in the IPL once but watching him graft 126 off 231 balls on a tricky deck in Adelaide kept people in the stands for hours. Conditions change during the match and tactics change accordingly. When it's basically 5 days x 3 sessions per day where the conditions are the same then it loses its appeal. May as well save money and drop in a suburban carpet on concrete pitch.
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As much of a traditionalist as I am I don't mind the batsmen scoring quickly as long as the pitch is allowing the bowlers to take wickets. Usually the best combination for quick scoring and quick wickets is a fast bouncy wicket with some grass. Fast and bouncy without the grass usually just results in batsmen loading up - ala last few years in Perth.
Tricky wickets where the batsmen can't score quickly and the bowlers get on top make for good viewing as well.
Slow tricky wickets where the batsmen can't score quickly, but the bowlers can't get regular wickets because the pitch is dead makes for fairly tedious viewing I find, and unless there is some big context to the match (i.e. Ashes or two of the top four teams). If it's just NZ v Sri Lanka on a lifeless Dunedin wicket as one team crawls to 5/240 at stumps on day one then you've really got to be heavily invested in one of those teams to really find it entertaining.
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A contest between bat and ball is what you want to see in tests. Limited overs are a bit different because it's just 20/50 overs each and the conditions don't really change that much. If it's a road and 350 is par so be it. Low scoring T20s/ODIs are actually underrated. BBL games where a team ends up 5/20 off the first 5 overs or something are great, because it changes the approach each side takes.
Unfortunately CA have a hard on for tests going to the 5th day which means conditions from day to day have become a bit samey. Ironic that they want to protect our fast bowlers yet give them pitches where teams bat for 100-150 overs at a time. I remember when Langer and Gilly had their massive partnership in Tassie as we chased down 369 and it was a famous win. Was only last year we set Pakistan 490 and it took 145 overs to get them out for 450. That's absurd for a 4th innings.
Unfortunately CA have a hard on for tests going to the 5th day which means conditions from day to day have become a bit samey. Ironic that they want to protect our fast bowlers yet give them pitches where teams bat for 100-150 overs at a time. I remember when Langer and Gilly had their massive partnership in Tassie as we chased down 369 and it was a famous win. Was only last year we set Pakistan 490 and it took 145 overs to get them out for 450. That's absurd for a 4th innings.
The Falcon Strike
Hall of Famer
Got a mate at the new Perth stadium now watching the scorchers play a warm up.
Reckons the pitch is lightning quick. Johnno putting shortballs over the keepers head!
Reckons the pitch is lightning quick. Johnno putting shortballs over the keepers head!
eth-dog
Tier 1 WW Player
MCG has been crap recently but I've actually liked what they're doing with the Shield so far, it's been taking more spin.
I don’t think anyone minds fast scoring rates in tests if there is something in it for the bowlers.
The worst test cricket to watch is either the true bounce roads or dead pitches where it’s a grind for everyone.
Brisbane was too slow for me this year, Adelaide better but probably helped by being a day nighter, Perth does seem a bit road like but hopefully breaks up later in the game.
I tend to be more captivated when you feel like anything can happen in any given over. I tend to love tests where sides struggle to make 200 and are over in 3 days as everything seems hard fought and engrossing
Ciderhound
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The WACA mounting a compelling argument for the worst wicket in Australia. At least the MCG offers some turn and scope for reverse swing.
Ciderhound
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