Get rid of drop in wickets

[Adelaide Hawk]

Ball moves for the first 15 overs but then it does nothing...

That's because everyone's hanging around waiting for reverse swing to magically appear, like Santa Claus, after the 40th over with gifts for all good little bowlers. According to some commentators, a 30 over old ball just cannot swing or do anything apparently.

 

[Demosthenes]

You could put the 1985 West Indies bowling attack on that pitch and we wouldn't be seeing scores much over 250-300.

What an incredibly facile argument.

 

[04 Durif]

People need to face reality in that the class of batting around the world right now is superior to the bowling. You could put the 1985 West Indies bowling attack on that pitch and we wouldn't be seeing scores much over 250-300. The moment anyone scores some runs, apparently the pitch is a road. Narrow minded attitudes are rife on this forum.

We've seen many Tests over the years where the opposition makes 170 in the 1st Innings, then Australia comes out and makes 500+ and winning by an Innings. It happens more often than people remember. Was the pitch a road? Strange that one team could make runs but the other team couldn't.

However, the T20 freaks cannot handle watching the same batsman bat for a session, or for more than 5 overs for that matter, so therefore there must be something wrong with the pitch. I seriously don't understand why some posters watch cricket. They clearly don't enjoy it. More to the point, they don't understand it. I wish they would just stick to T20 and leave Test cricket to those of us who actually enjoy cricket.

By the tone of most of your posts. You don't like cricket or much of anything at all

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

I don't get this argument. There's a reason shield isn't test cricket. Because the players aren't as good. A lesser batsman gets found out easier than a lesser bowler (a s**t bowler can bowl 5 overs of s**t but get one ball right and he succeeds. A batsman can play one s**t shot and he's gone). That is a prime reason why shield gets results. I'm sure the fact that TV isn't a factor means they're more inclined to not care if a wicket is a green top but that aside, the low scores in shield can be attributed to the skill level as much as anything.

The West Indies is a prime example of this. They're FC scores are very ordinary. On identical dry spinning decks, good sides cash in and make heaps

Actually, curators are under significant pressure from their states to produce result wickets for Shield games. No first innings points anymore. Must take 20 wickets to get anything out of a game.

That pressure doesn't exist for test matches.

 

[Cleavy]

Ball moves for the first 15 overs but then it does nothing...

cue the bitching about the Kookaburra balls and praise for the Dukes balls:
http://www.foxsports.com.au/cricket...e/news-story/d10b230f4eee7be8c16789fda5de82ab

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

I've found the Kookaburra balls have been declining in quality the last few years. This is at club level which use Kookaburra Turf which is the first class ball and also Kookaburra Regulation which is the standard club ball.

Simply put, most of the balls are not symmetrical therefore don't swing. The seam wobbles all over the place.

It used to be that in a box of a dozen you'd get 8 or 9 high quality cricket balls and 3 or 4 duds. Now you are lucky if there are four good cricket balls in a dozen.

I don't know why this would be the case. They've perhaps lowered their threshold of what passes inspection - remember Kookaburra cross-outs for training? Or they've 'streamlined' their production to reduce costs? Sourced cheaper materials? Not sure but they used to be excellent, now are inconsistent quality and it's opened the door for other cricket ball manufacturers.

 

[Hellgood]

cue the bitching about the Kookaburra balls and praise for the Dukes balls:
http://www.foxsports.com.au/cricket...e/news-story/d10b230f4eee7be8c16789fda5de82ab

It's a valid enough point that the Kookaburras impact is for a shorter duration than the Duke. Worth exploring in my opinion.

People need to face reality in that the class of batting around the world right now is superior to the bowling. You could put the 1985 West Indies bowling attack on that pitch and we wouldn't be seeing scores much over 250-300. The moment anyone scores some runs, apparently the pitch is a road. Narrow minded attitudes are rife on this forum.

We've seen many Tests over the years where the opposition makes 170 in the 1st Innings, then Australia comes out and makes 500+ and winning by an Innings. It happens more often than people remember. Was the pitch a road? Strange that one team could make runs but the other team couldn't.

However, the T20 freaks cannot handle watching the same batsman bat for a session, or for more than 5 overs for that matter, so therefore there must be something wrong with the pitch. I seriously don't understand why some posters watch cricket. They clearly don't enjoy it. More to the point, they don't understand it. I wish they would just stick to T20 and leave Test cricket to those of us who actually enjoy cricket.

Let's be honest, you picked a pretty s**t example there Australia haven't been doing much of that in the last decade.

 

[Carl Hooper]

I've found the Kookaburra balls have been declining in quality the last few years. This is at club level which use Kookaburra Turf which is the first class ball and also Kookaburra Regulation which is the standard club ball.

Simply put, most of the balls are not symmetrical therefore don't swing. The seam wobbles all over the place.

It used to be that in a box of a dozen you'd get 8 or 9 high quality cricket balls and 3 or 4 duds. Now you are lucky if there are four good cricket balls in a dozen.

I don't know why this would be the case. They've perhaps lowered their threshold of what passes inspection - remember Kookaburra cross-outs for training? Or they've 'streamlined' their production to reduce costs? Sourced cheaper materials? Not sure but they used to be excellent, now are inconsistent quality and it's opened the door for other cricket ball manufacturers.

Interesting about the seam wobbling thing. Didn't know that!!

 

[PhatBoy]

Singling out individual instances of half-chances doesn't really prove anything. The fact is no bowler has really consistently threatened on the pitch outside of the new ball, and Australia have had minimal problem going at about 5 an over for the last 60 overs.

Aside from Amir and one spell from Riaz no bowler deserved to consistently threaten.

 

[PhatBoy]

Ball still moving and beating the bat every few deliveries
But nah it's not moving

 

[KissKiss]

Pitch was made for a five day test match. Unfortunately we've had only just over two days play so far and the pitch is playing like it. I doubt the pitch will break up enough for us to get a result. Pitch is probably a touch too flat but if we had had three full days cricket and Australia was around Pakistan's first innings already (or past it, bowled out etc) then I think we'd all be pretty confident of a result. Is it the best pitch I've ever seen - no, not even close but is it satisfactory - tbh it probably is.


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Yeah I wonder how much the time under the covers didnt help any thing.

I haven't thought much of the MCG pitch for a few years now (and a lot of the blame should go on CA) but after losing a lot of time to rain its probably not that fair on this particular one

 

[Blue1980]

If we didn't lose a day to rain we wouldn't be having this discussion about the pitch. 2 sides making 450+ in the first innings doesn't mean a road.

Sure it's pretty good for batting, but there is a fair bit in it for bowlers.

There has been good batting by both sides too

 

[Mateyman]

That's because everyone's hanging around waiting for reverse swing to magically appear, like Santa Claus, after the 40th over with gifts for all good little bowlers. According to some commentators, a 30 over old ball just cannot swing or do anything apparently.

Yep that'd be it. None of the best 11 cricketers from Pakistan or Australia have considered trying to generate reverse swing

 

[PhatBoy]

If we didn't lose a day to rain we wouldn't be having this discussion about the pitch. 2 sides making 450+ in the first innings doesn't mean a road.

Sure it's pretty good for batting, but there is a fair bit in it for bowlers.

There has been good batting by both sides too

This. There has rarely been a period of more than half a dozen overs in the
match where there hasn't been a couple of edges, plays and misses, half-chances etc.

Aamir will bowl worse than he has in this innings and take 5-6 wickets. Been desperately unlucky. Warner and handscomb in particular had a shitload of luck. And Pakistan were headed for something sub-350 before Sohail started bashing it around.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

It's still too high. 300-320 should be the max you want. Means there is a bit in it for everyone the whole way through.

These useless flat track bully's can show some application and score runs for once.

Watch us go to India and Warner especially score nothing!

 

[JG22]

This. There has rarely been a period of more than half a dozen overs in the
match where there hasn't been a couple of edges, plays and misses, half-chances etc.

Aamir will bowl worse than he has in this innings and take 5-6 wickets. Been desperately unlucky. Warner and handscomb in particular had a shitload of luck. And Pakistan were headed for something sub-350 before Sohail started bashing it around.

Problem is the wickets are flat and they don't change.
They could be used for 10 days without much change at all

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Problem is the wickets are flat and they don't change.
They could be used for 10 days without much change at all

If they have to be drop ins, they have to put more grass on it to compensate for the lack of growing it in the natural turf.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

Yep that'd be it. None of the best 11 cricketers from Pakistan or Australia have considered trying to generate reverse swing

My point (geez it's painful having to explain everything) is you don't "generate" reverse swing, it rather happens or it doesn't. From over 1 you shine the ball. You keep shining the ball throughout, and gain movement in the air as a result. Some balls with swing from the start, others won't. People talk about 40 overs as if by pure magic the ball will suddenly because to change shape which is just pure nonsense. Good swing bowlers (of which there are precious few these days) would wonder what the fuss is all about. They could swing the ball both ways at any time during the innings. It's clear to me that many people talk about reverse swing without having a clue what it all means. Healy's a classic example of using the term as more of a catch cry than an assessment.

 

[Demosthenes]

On the thread topic, I ******* hate drop-ins, but in all fairness the MCG has produced rubbish wickets for my entire lifetime (drop-in or no).

Easily the most overrated cricket venue in the world. Great atmosphere but very rarely produces good matches.

 

[Blue1980]

It's still too high. 300-320 should be the max you want. Means there is a bit in it for everyone the whole way through.

These useless flat track bully's can show some application and score runs for once.

Watch us go to India and Warner especially score nothing!

Hasn't Warner made a ton over there previously?

He won't come off every time but his record overseas is pretty good

 

[Mateyman]

My point (geez it's painful having to explain everything) is you don't "generate" reverse swing, it rather happens or it doesn't. From over 1 you shine the ball. You keep shining the ball throughout, and gain movement in the air as a result. Some balls with swing from the start, others won't. People talk about 40 overs as if by pure magic the ball will suddenly because to change shape which is just pure nonsense. Good swing bowlers (of which there are precious few these days) would wonder what the fuss is all about. They could swing the ball both ways at any time during the innings. It's clear to me that many people talk about reverse swing without having a clue what it all means. Healy's a classic example of using the term as more of a catch cry than an assessment.

It's weird that reverse swing happens in pretty much every innings in India, whereas it rarely happens if the pitches are less abrasive, when you claim it's about the ball.

 

[PhatBoy]

Hasn't Warner made a ton over there previously?

He won't come off every time but his record overseas is pretty good

Of 7 overseas nations in which he has played test cricket, Warner averages above 40 in SA and the UAE.

 

[strewthcobber]

19th result today from the 21 test matches played at the MCG since drop-ins were used in 1996.

15 from the 21 tests before that on the in-situ square

 

[Ciderhound]

Was watching the England South Africa match last night. IMO england produce the best cricket wickets in the world atm and suprise suprise they are no drop in wickets.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Was watching the England South Africa match last night. IMO england produce the best cricket wickets in the world atm and suprise suprise they are no drop in wickets.

They don't play other sports on their cricket ovals though.