What is the perfect pitch for test cricket?

[mas cambios]

What is the perfect pitch for test cricket?

With the furore over the recent test in Karachi still simmering and England cruising to 600 on another road like wicket, the debate over what a good test wicket should be is raging.

Personally I feel it should enable all players to have some say in the game, from batsman to pace men to spinners. It should also be able to produce a results first and foremost, with a draw being the result of a rear guard action or a team hanging on for dear life, not because 1200 runs have been scored in 2 innings.

I guess that the pitch should play something like this:

Day 1
Morning - Favours Pace
Afternoon - Something still there for pace but starting to favour the bat
Evening - Good bowling is rewarded but it's now firmly in favour of the bat

Day 2
Morning - First 30/60 mins something for the bowler but starting to favour the bat
Afternoon and Evening - Batsman friendly all the way, pitch is reaching it's 'peak'

Day 3
As day 3 (pitch should be at it's best for batting now) although starting to show some wear towards the later stages and the spinners getting interested

Day 4
Similar to day 2 but spinners coming increasingly into the game. Signs of wear and tear, some cracks. Good play by both batting side or bowlers have the potential to be rewarded.

Day 5
Expect this to favour the spinners or bowlers who can hit the cracks. Batsman still have a chance but concentration and technique is key.

The key is that it offers something to everyone at various stages but is not stacked unfairly in favour of one. Good batting technique is rewarded with runs, likewise, consistent, intense and intelligent bowling with get wickets.

A good score would be around 350 in the first innings and 250 in the second.

What are you're thoughts?

 

[Buddy23#]

Re: What is the perfect pitch for test cricket?

Agree with pretty much everything you said. We in Australia have had ordinary
pitches lately that favor the batters. Perth And the Gabba don't seem to favor the bowlers as much as they did.
The MCG has drop in pitches which have been shite, and Sydney doesn't seem to turn as much at did. So it's been a weird time for pitches in Australia.

 

[mas cambios]

Re: What is the perfect pitch for test cricket?

In theory, pitches should be getting better as the ICC is proactive (or least appears to be) in setting guidelines and sending out experts.

The problem lies partly with revenue - milking 5 days worth of gate receipts and advertising. Also, I get the feeling that certain ICC members equate big scores with excitement, when people would rather see a close game with a range of skills on offer.

 

[Buddy23#]

Re: What is the perfect pitch for test cricket?

I want to watch batters ducking and diving trying not to get broken in half.
Quick pitches sort out the best from the rest i reckon. Makes for awesome viewing to.

 

[Kram81]

Re: What is the perfect pitch for test cricket?

One thing I like about Australia is that the pitches are all fairly different, Sydney spin, Adelaide good for batting.. Although it has got better I would love to see the WACA get back to its bounce that used to have. The drop in pitches at the MCG have been pretty ordinary though with the amount of Australian Rules played there in winter it's just something that had to be done.

I actually don't mind games where the ball dominates the bat for a change.

 

[breeno]

Re: What is the perfect pitch for test cricket?

I prefer it being bowler dominant, produces a result. MC I agree with pretty much everything you've said.

 

[Medel]

Re: What is the perfect pitch for test cricket?

Well clearly there is no such thing, you will always have the winning team saying how it was a good wicket to play on and the team that has lost will say that the conditions wernt condusive to there style of cricket!

 

[Navin123]

Perfect pitch for test cricket

The pitch has a lot of say in cricket. A pitch can decide the fate of the match. Take the recent test between Windies and England. Both the teams scored over 600 runs and that's it. What a dead game!
A pitch should have something for everybody. Only then will a test end in a result. It is very important to make a pitch that can get results. This will keep the audience interested in the longer form of the game.

 

[hattrick]

Re: What is the perfect pitch for test cricket?

I would agree with the first post but the first 30-40 minutes in the morning should be seamer friendly, Ultimately the climatic behaviour of the surrounding area should not be forgotten.

South African wickets generally with the exception of Potchefstroom and Benoni are decent. The next Australian test in Durban should be even more seamer friendly than Johannesburg. Cape Town and Paarl are generally nice batting tracks but spin play a bigger role now on day3,4,5 of a test Match/ 4 day match.

 

[Howard Littlejohn]

Re: What is the perfect pitch for test cricket?

The traditional Brisbane pitches are close to ideal I reckon.
A bit of seam early, but the bowler still has to put in the effort to get the reward. Flattens out after that. Then by the middle of day three there's just touch of turn. Maybe some cracking by day four, and a hint of uneven bounce on day five along with movement for both seam and spin.
Gives everyone their chance, but the batsmen have to be careful and the bowlers still have to bowl well to take wickets. Its a delicate balance for curators, to get some life in the pitch early, and still allow it to age properly for spin later on - without loading things in favour of bowlers and producing 3 day Tests.
I think Brisbane can do it well because of the humidity and the way way grass grows there. In cooler climes it can be more difficult.

I dislike the way commentators tend to go about Adelaide having a great pitch. It is if you're a batsman I'm no so sure its great for Test cricket as a whole though.
People like one day cricket, therefore people like plenty of quick runs, seems to be the prevailing attitude by cricket authorities on how they want pitches prepared. Disappointing really, although we don't get too many draws in most countries these days; so its not as bad as I might have made it seem.