Comments on: Controlled ball tampering could rebalance test cricket

By: Andrew Flintoff

Andrew Flintoff — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:33:34 +0000

They’d better not tamper with my balls

By: Geoff Miller

Geoff Miller — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 14:54:20 +0000

You can still have a good batting wicket that is competitive. More grass left on the wicket gives bowlers something if they can get it in the right areas. Some lateral movement throughout the match would always keep the bowlers in the game. In some areas it’s obviously hard to produce certain wickets. Pitches in the sub-continent are always going to be dusty and flat and that’s OK, but pitches across the world don’t all need to be produced to be as flat as a pancake.

Wickets can be produced that offer something to everyone; grass on the first day, hard and bouncy throughout the middle few days and breaking up a bit towards the end to offer something to the spinners. It can be done!

By: andy

andy — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 02:52:50 +0000

As a general rule, a wicket would have to be rock hard and flat as possible to get through a five-day game surely? Maybe a little damp to begin with or it would turn to dust (which in itself increases spin, particularly on ‘scalped’ wickets) by the end. The only choice the groundsman has that seriously affects spin is the amount of vegetation left on the surface, and this should remain as even as possible from start of play (i.e. no adjustment of height of cut or brushing or scarifyng of wicket other than outside 5ft marks). Part of the reason bounce has become more predictable is advances in breeding suitable grass species. Improvements in training have also been a help.

By: Simon Taufel

Simon Taufel — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 17:57:31 +0000

While it is true that the the playing field probably does need to be levelled to suggest that ball tampering should be legalised is ridiculous! The difference between the changes you mentioned regarding making things easier for batsmen and your proposed changes is that ball tampering is, and always has been, against the spirit of the game. Preparing flatter tracks, improving bats and bringing in boundaries is not an issue on the same level.

We do need to make life easier for bowlers, we’ve seen in South Africa that low scoring, tight matches can be brilliant and for me the answer is you legislate the pitches that are produced. The ICC can simply punish, fine or place temporary bans on teams that produce too many flat tracks. These groundsmen are extremely skilled and can get what they want out of the wicket they’re working on but they choose to make them flat to guarantee 5 days so their respective cricket board makes more money. Obviously some pitches will be flat and that’s acceptable but if a country keeps churning out featherbeds then you come down hard on them, meaning each country produces a variety of wickets and thus bowlers come back into the game. Let’s not advocate cheating!