Why should a team have the right to complain about cricket pitches?
December 23rd 2010 05:33
Link: www.cricketdiaries.com
It is strange that the MCG curator has had to come out to defend his actions of changing the track that will be used for the fourth Ashes Test match at Melbourne. Follow the Australia-England 4th Test score live here.
The common refrain, especially coming from the English media is that the Melbourne track was changed to dish out a pace-filled pitch after the kind of performance that was exhibited by England at a similar one at WACA. They cried foul over this change.
The curator has denied that he had been asked by anyone to do so and added that the MCG track will be slower than most other pitches in the country. Hopefully, the end of story.
What my question is, why can't the home team prepare a track which assists them? Why does a curator have to answer questions every time a pitch helps the hosts? This has happened in India as well when it came to the preparation of cracking tracks that would take turn early in the game and now Australia has been questioned on the same grounds.
My rationale is simple. The hosts should be allowed to prepare tracks to suit their advantage, much like how it happens in Davis Cup. If a side is good, they will adapt to any situation, any pitch. If they are not good enough, they will complain and groan about the situation, much like the Aussies had themselves done after the Mumbai Test in 2004 and the South Africans after the Kanpur game in 2008.
The common refrain, especially coming from the English media is that the Melbourne track was changed to dish out a pace-filled pitch after the kind of performance that was exhibited by England at a similar one at WACA. They cried foul over this change.
The curator has denied that he had been asked by anyone to do so and added that the MCG track will be slower than most other pitches in the country. Hopefully, the end of story.
What my question is, why can't the home team prepare a track which assists them? Why does a curator have to answer questions every time a pitch helps the hosts? This has happened in India as well when it came to the preparation of cracking tracks that would take turn early in the game and now Australia has been questioned on the same grounds.
My rationale is simple. The hosts should be allowed to prepare tracks to suit their advantage, much like how it happens in Davis Cup. If a side is good, they will adapt to any situation, any pitch. If they are not good enough, they will complain and groan about the situation, much like the Aussies had themselves done after the Mumbai Test in 2004 and the South Africans after the Kanpur game in 2008.
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