DDCA goes in for quick and bouncy wickets

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THE FEROZESHAH Kotla will roll out brand new wickets from the next season. The Delhi District and Cricket Association (DDCA) has gone into an overdrive to relay the wickets to change their profile and nature. More...

[graphic23]

Good stuff. I'll believe it when I see it though. Too much of bouncier/livelier wickets in India have been said in the past couple of years - and all that talk has amounted to nothing. But if it is indeed true, it should help a lot. I hope, though, that there will still be wickets that will turn square - we don't want to end up in Australia's position with regards to spinners.

[Mr. Wicket]

Yeah, yeah, isn't this what we've been promised all over the country from 2003 onwards ever since those pitch consultants came in from NZ to teach people how to make quicker and bouncier pitches?

[fineleg]

Usual blah blah from BCCI/DDCA/<...>CA on pitches - let them actually make 'quick and bouncy' pitches first.

[graphic23]

Yeah' date=' yeah, isn't this what we've been promised all over the country from 2003 onwards ever since those pitch consultants came in from NZ to teach people how to make quicker and bouncier pitches?[/quote'] I don't quite understand that. Don't we know more about our soil than guys from NZ? It would perhaps make sense if they had similar weather conditions/climate and they don't. They're quite the opposite. Because India is a tropical region, our pitches - naturally, at least, will never quite have the same bounce as the WACA - or would it be a mistake to think that way? In places like Chennai or even the Kotla, there is hot sun for 8-9 months a year- and rain the rest of the year. I don't see how to make it a lot more bouncier unless we use drop in pitches too ?

[Mr. Wicket]

Yup, the whole approach to quickening up the tracks has been bass ackwards. Worst of all have been the pitches that are promised to be 'quick and seam friendly with some green encouraging 3 seamers to be selected', and then after 30 overs on the first day lose all venom and turn into a batting road. At least the wickets in the Azharuddin era would give results. Yes, dry turners designed for the Kumble/Raju/Chauhan trifecta, but they produced results, challenged batsmen and did make for some pretty interesting contests.

[graphic23]

Yeah, the Ahmedabad pitch being one. :(( It was great for the first session, and then just died - despite that we couldn't save the game though. Nagpur, Mohali in specific seasons are the ones that will probably assist the seamers most in India, and if we ever make grounds in the further northeastern regions of India - because of their climate. I think it would be a far better idea for the groundsmen to make deteriorating pitches Kotla and south from there, though - 1) they will give plenty of opportunities for results 2) We can hear Ponting cry again.

[Mr. Wicket]

Mohali's too season-reliant, there've been too many games (like that GD game vs. Pakistan in 05) where it's an absolute patta by days 4/5 and bowlers are basically useless against even Popeye Razzaq.. I don't see what's wrong with something like a traditional Kotla or Chennai track. Ponting and a few other sour whiny cretins might crib that such pitches are unfair and so on, but they do make for some pretty interesting cricket. (And it beats the hell out of an Ahmedabad or Antigua or Adelaide road where 600 runs per innings are scored for no result)

[graphic23]

Between 1 Jan 1990 - 1 Jan 2002, we had 40 test matches played in India, with only 10 draws. 75% of the games were result-oriented, and I have a feeling some of the draws too were well fought. Since then we've played 34 games, and already have 14 draws - with some of them being very very boring. I don't know what the big deal is with the whole 'only bouncy pitches give results'.

[Mr. Wicket]

Well it's the stupid bias that if a pitch is green, bouncy and offers help to seamers, it makes for good cricket by bringing the bowler into it. But if it's crumbling by day 2-3 and encouraging spinners and testing batsmen's technique that way, it's a rotten wicket that's not test quality. Bullcrap. Especially given the ICC's BS logic of not having an issue with pitches that are highways.