Bowler's preview: MCG

While the first day of the Second Test between Sri Lanka and Australia at the MCG provided us with thirteen wickets for approximately 300 runs, this is no real surprise considering the way the pitch has played over the course of the past half-decade, and indeed this season.

The average first innings in Tests at the ‘G over the past five years has been slightly over 324 runs per innings, with the highest total recorded in 2009-10 when Australia recorded 4/454 against the touring Pakistanis.  Of the past nineteen innings at the G, that contest was the equal-fewest wickets lost by any one team throughout that period (11).  That several of those Pakistanis have now subsequently been sanctioned for spot-or-match fixing in no way minimises this achievement.

At Test level, the pitch has responded far better to pace than to spin.  This is probably due to a dearth of quality spin played at the MCG over the past five years: there have only been a total of 76 overs of legspin bowled at the ground at that time, of which eighteen were delivered by don’t-wannabe spinner Steve Smith – unsurprisingly for the relatively poor economy rate (E/R) of 4.11.  In fact, between Smith and Anil Kumble, leg-spinners accounted for the highest E/R for any bowling style at the ‘G as they gave up 3.8 runs per over.  That they average 20.6 in the first innings at Melbourne is purely down to Kumble’s 5/108 in 2007-08.

The same lack of leg-spinners in Shield cricket this year means that only 18 overs have been delivered in such style this season for no positive result (cumulative figures 0/66).  It’s telling that the most gifted Australian leg-spinner of his generation, Cameron White, now basically ignores his bowling to concentrate on his cavalier batting.  The pitch this season, has responded best to pace bowling: only eight wickets today have been lost to spin (all off-spin, and mostly to Glenn Maxwell), while the immortal Gary Putland has the best (two) innings match figures at the ground with 7/64 and 5/28.  This results in Shield season-best figures of 12/94.

Off-spinners are both cheaper at the ground in Tests and First Class cricket: they average a cumulative 48.63 over Test matches at the MCG and 43.13 at Shield level, while costing 2.9 and 3.6 respectively.  However, during the fourth innings of Test matches, the tweakers come into their own.  The table below shows their average strike rate (S/R) and average decrease markedly at cost to their economy:

Bowling type performance by Test Innings, MCG
	Innings 1	Innings 2	Innings 3	Innings 4
Average	324.4	341.6	264.2	191
Fast bowling average	34.68	28.25	25.88	22.24
Legspin average	20.6		51
Offspin average	66.2	70.75	49.6	25.75
Chinaman average		41		32
Fast bowling E/R	3.45	2.88	3.28	2.8
Legspin E/R	3.32	4.1	4.08
Offspin E/R	2.9	2.61	2.86	3.69
Chinaman E/R		3.9		3.37
Fast bowling S/R	60.38	58.8	47.4	47.7
Legspin S/R	37.2	75
Offspin S/R	136.8	162.7	47.9	41.9
Chinaman S/R		63		57

From the table above, we can surmise that the pitch at Melbourne does exactly what the classical Test pitch should– offer something for fast bowlers on a good batting track day one, before becoming a very good deck for hitters on days two and three before degenerating into a tricky wicket on the final two days.

Has this trend been constant?  Actually, batsmanship has become much harder over the past two MCG Tests.  This is in part to a Hilfenhaus-led Indian collapse last season and a horrible Australian batting performance the year before.   Test averages have declined from a high of 41.4 to last year’s 25.6.  Sri Lanka’s ... intriguing ... batting choices yesterday are only liable to contribute further to this decline.

This is the second in our series of bowler’s previews, which should give an insight into how the pitch will play – and thoroughly dependent on the whims of selectors.

Bowler's Preview: the case for/against Nathan Lyon

Over the past five years, Test scores at Bellerive have steadily declined.  The last time scores of real significance were made at Hobart was during the Sri Lankans' last visit (2007/08), where Kumar Sanggakara made a chanceless 192; this followed on from forgotten man Phil Jaques' Test-best 150.  In fact, while each dismissal in 2007-08 cost 52.4 runs, this average has declined over the five-year span to it's probable nadir (18.6) during last summer's low-scoring Australian loss to New Zealand.

This reflects an increasing trend at Bellerive for encounters dominated by the flingers.  First Class matches in Hobart have been a bowler's dream this season: the last two (of three) Shield matches have ended in Innings defeats.  In both cases the losing cause failed to break 100 in their first innings.  This is reflected in the poor dismissal averages which rank amongst the worst best lowest in Australian First Class cricket this season.

Average runs per dismissal, Bellerive
Five-year Test	33.98
2012-13 First Class	23.46

When deciding at the toss whether to bat or field, the captains will take into account several factors: the pitch, the weather (probable showers), their relative strengths and whether the pitch will take spin.  Over the course of past five years' Test cricket, the evidence suggests that spin bowling isn't particularly effective for tweakers.  In fact, the best innings figures belong to Nathan Lyon who took 3/25 in seven overs against New Zealand last season; the only other figures of note are those of Simon Katich, whose chinamen captured 3/34 against Pakistan in 2009.  Indeed, spin has been responsible for only 22% of all Test wickets over the past three Bellerive Tests.

Bowling style	Total Innings	Total analysis	Average	BBI	BBM
Seam/swing/fast	41	78/2451	31.42	6/40	9/60
Off spin	11	12/475	39.6	3/25	6/126
Leg spin	4	7/428	61.1	3/189	4/245
Chinaman	2	3/44	14.67	3/34	3/44

*Total Innings ncludes the number of bowlers – ie. Should Lyon and Michael Clarke bowl in the first innings against Sri Lanka, it would count as two.  Should only Lyon bowl (last over before lunch, as is Clarke’s wont), then the figure is only 1.

The debate over whether Australia should include four fast bowlers has some merit in Hobart, but - though this was in some ways a default option given Josh "brown paper bag" Hazelwood's inexperience and Australian bowlers' propensity for injury - considering the selectors opted to play Lyon in Western Australia, he is likely to play in Tasmania.

Lyon hasn't had much experience on the Bellerive pitch; in South Australia's only First-Class game there this season he delivered only four overs for ten runs and had certified non-spinner Johan Botha preferred to him.  Although he's unquestionably Australia's best offie since Tim May, it may be that this disturbing lack of structural integrity in Australian fast men that most contributes to Lyon retaining his Test spot until retirement.

However, considering how well Tasmanian climes have responded fast bowling over this season, there is a solid argument that four fast bowlers (well, unless they're Sri Lankan quicks) could be well suited to most efficiently capture the 20 wickets required for a win.  Unfortunately in the table below we couldn't afford a separate category for straight-breakers (ie. Johan Botha), so he's lumped in with off-spinners.

Bowling style	Innings used	Total analysis	Average	BBI	BBM
Seam/swing/fast	38	94/2058	21.89	6/25	8/78
Off spin	8	6/288	48	3/88	3/88

 
  What can we draw from the information above (apart from the fact that a similar analysis for the MCG will be a bastard)?  Simply, Lyon's quote-unquote intangibles earn him a place for Australia - especially with his small sample size providing no conclusive proof that actual finger-spinners flourish or die on a relatively small ground.  However, with the combination of the low cloud that's often brought along with showers suggest that a potent pace attack is going to contribute most to success.

Why a bowler's preview?  Simple - when did you hear of a batsman being dropped because of the weather or the pitch?  Not since the days of Andrew Hilditch, which are hopefully receding into the distance.

Pitching it up: Sinhalese Sporting Club, Colombo

Ben Roberts

 

Peter Siddle is as lionhearted a competitor as you are likely to meet in cricket. It is unlikely that a thought toward another test as the drinks carrier really could really inspire a player like Siddle, but the surface at the SSC could potentially drive him to rue his replacement of the injured Ryan Harris in the team.

 

The surfaces in the first two tests were incredibly lively compared with the reputation preceding the grounds. Of course the first test match's pitch was later deemed below standard by the ICC. The pitch at the SSC is renowned as being overtly favourable to the batsman. Flat, hard and dry, with the only threat it dusting up later in the test. By which time both sides may have batted the game out of reach for each other.

 

The last test at the ground pitted the hosts against India in July 2010 where Sri Lanka ran up a total of 642 for 4 declared (three centurions, one a double, and two half centurions) before India, needing to win the test to level the series, replied with 707 (two centurions, and three half centurions) all out on the fourth day. Little time remained on such a wicket to force a result, and clearly neither side appeared that interested in one either.

 

Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo: courtesy: flickr.com

 

The Australians played in a high scoring affair againstSri Lanka in 2004. Both teams recorded just over 400 all out on the first innings before Australians ran up 375 in the second innings. On top of their game at the time the fast scoring rate of the tourists left them with over a day to bowl at the hosts, which they duly did to great success. The combination Shane Warne and a brittle temperament that haunted Sri Lankan batsman too often saw the Australians win.

 

The ground is the headquarters for the Sri Lankan national cricket authorities, therefore one down in the series and with those in power looking on you would like to think the Sri Lankans will push for a result. Whichever team wins the toss will bat first and stand the better chance of setting the match up for a win. All bowlers will need to be patient, and captains wise in their use. With an aggressive player like Siddle, Michael Clarke will need to be aware the moment his frustration results in even slightly poorer bowling.

Note to Phil Hughes. This may be the best chance you get to shut up all of us fast losing patience with your inability to do the job at the top of the order, particularly as we know one S Katich would thrive in these conditions. Do not waste it.

Pitching it up:Muttiah Muralitharan International Stadium (Pallekele)

by Balanced Sports' columnist Ben Roberts

Can you imagine the heart ache as the relevant cricketing administrators sat down and tried to decide what they would name the new cricket stadium in Kandy? Potentially to name it after the bowler who by far and away leads the cricketing world in bowling statistics was the easiest decision anyone has ever made!

The stadium at Pallekele is only two years old and has only held one test thus far in its history. Its building was as a replacement for the formerly used Asigiriya Stadium in Kandy, and was in time for use at the 2011 World Cup. It was welcomed into the fold of this tournament by Ross Taylor of New Zealand, who in the stadiums first match of the tournament stroked a brilliant 131 not out off 124 balls, with 55 runs from his final 13 balls faced. Taylor earned for his efforts from the New Zealand commentary team the nickname 'The Pallekele Plunderer' (just a great name when said with a kiwi accent!).

courtesy: imagegossips.com

The only test match to have been hosted at the stadium was ruined by rain, with only the West Indian opponents of Sri Lanka able to bat. The cricketing world lost any ability to judge how the surface would play as the rain fell, but further that the West Indians, content to draw the series, elected to face over 100 overs in scoring 300 for 8. Kumar Sangakarra later described this as the worst test series he had been involved with.

We have little to go on therefore as we assess the relevant merits of the conditions in Kandy when Australia visits for the stadiums second test. The primarily limited over pedigree of the stadium points toward a flat wicket, with plenty of runs. In the test between Sri Lanka and the West Indies the spinners outperformed the paceman easily by bowling tight, and we can expect this to be the plan of both sides based on the first test at Galle.

The moist atmosphere of the oft rained on southern Sri Lankan city has proved a challenge for pitch preparation, and may give those quicker bowlers moving the ball in the air, just kissing the surface, some hope. Again it will be expected of the batsmen that they exert some self control and patience, batting first again will most likely be the way to go in setting the game up.

Pitching it up: Galle International Stadium

by Balanced Sports columnist Ben Roberts

The three Test series begins in the south west of the island nation on a strip of land heading south into the Indian Ocean. Such location is described as being immensely picturesque however it was also immensely vulnerable on Boxing Day 2004 when the Tsunami devastated the area. The ground undertook a large reconstruction thanks to the large international cricket community, fearful it would be lost forever.

courtesy: goldsilveralert.com

The ground was first built in 1876, however it was not until 1998 when it received its first Test match. In all 17 matches have been played on the ground, with nine wins for the Sri Lankans, coupled with three Losses and five draws. The pitch is typical sub-continent accepting spin and asking for patient batting against it. As you would expect Muttiah Muralidaran is the most successful bowler with 111 wickets on the ground in 15 matches, daylight is second.

Australia and Sri Lanka have clashed twice at Galle. A rain affected draw was the 1999 matches result, but there was time enough for Shane Warne and Murali to take three and five wickets respectively. For Australia both Glenn McGrath and Damien Fleming bowled well, indicating that because of the breeze coming off the ocean on three sides of the ground as well as being closer to sea level patience and skill could be valuable for the quicker bowlers also.

In 2004 Australia won by 197 runs, but not before Murali had tied them in knots, taking 11 wickets. Australia fought back from a 161-run first innings deficit with patient centuries from Matthew Hayden, Damien Martyn, and Darren Lehmann (his first in Test cricket). So conservative were the usually swashbuckling Australians that these three recorded strike rates in these innings of 61, 34, and 60 runs per 100 balls, well down on what was usual. Warne took 5 wickets in each innings and Stuart MacGill 4 in the second as Sri Lanka was bowled out.

Given the nature of the current Australian side they are unlikely to go into the match with more than one spinner – a decision to be made between Nathan Lyon and Michael Beer. My favourite, Peter Siddle, will likely miss this one out as it is not a pitch that will respond to being attacked well short of a length as is his want. Bolter Trent Copeland of NSW appears likely to get a game after his five wickets in the lead up match and his more patient approach being more of a plus in teaming up with Mitchell Johnson and Ryan Harris.

Whatever the eventual line up will be for both sides (remember Sri Lanka are yet to find a suitable replacement for Murali) whoever wins the toss stands the greatest chance of success. Bat first, be patient, run up a total before being disciplined in the field against an opposition weary from their own fielding endeavours.

Pitching it up: The SCG

Perhaps the rot set in for Ricky Ponting's captaincy 12 months ago when against Pakistan at the SCG he elected to bat first in overcast conditions and on a damp seaming pitch. Despite Australia's astonishing victory in the match, Ponting's decision still condemned Australia to be all out for 127 on the first day. Now seemingly more infamous than otherwise, Mohammad Asif was the main wicket taker for Pakistan in that innings with 6. With the Ashes emphatically retained by England in Melbourne, and eastern Australian meteorologists going on stress leave due to the eccentricities of the weather, should Ponting make it to and win the toss in Sydney, the pressure on his decision will be immense.

The SCG is famed for being favourable to spinners but this has not always been its only attraction. The SCG was home to one of Australia's post war great fast bowlers, Alan Davidson, in the 1950s and 1960s. Davidson took 27 wickets in 6 tests at Sydney at an average of 20.70. The pitch developed its reputation as a slow turner throughout the 1980s as Australia sought to combat the barrage of express pace coming primarily from the West Indian team. Annually Sydney managed to be a refuge for weary Australian teams, and a chance for lesser known cricketers to perform.

From 1980 until their breakthrough in the 1989 Ashes series, Australia did not lose a test match at the SCG, despite the weaker nature of many of the teams. Post the retirement of Greg Chappell, Rod Marsh and Dennis Lillee in early 1984, Australia lost series to England, New Zealand and the West Indies (twice). However on all occasions they won the Sydney test thanks to little known slow bowlers. The well aged Bob Holland (10 wickets against both the West Indies in 1984 and New Zealand in 1985), the very part time Allan Border (11 wickets against the West Indies in 1989), and the randomly selected Peter Taylor coupled with the usually innocuous Peter Sleep (7 and 5 wickets respectively against England in 1987) are not legendary names in spin bowling .

Surprisingly, Shane Warne's SCG record is weaker when compared to his phenomenal overall record. 4.57 wickets per test at 28.12 with a strike rate of 63.4 is laudable; but despite the SCG's reputation these statistics are poorer than his career record (4.88 at 25.41, strike rate of 57.4). The eternally second string spinner of the Warne era, Stuart MacGill, can probably only be adequately compared against Warne based upon their respective SCG records. In MacGill's 8 tests at the ground (5 with Warne in the XI also) he collected a remarkable 6.63 wickets per test at an average of 24.47 with a strike rate of 47.3. MacGill will be recorded by history as a very talented, yet more so a desperately unlucky cricketer.

There is symmetry between the current struggles of the Australian team and that of the teams that were humiliated regularly during the 1980s. Unfortunately there is no symmetry between the SCG pitch of that era and of today. While it won't be unplayable, expect to see the ball moving off the seam, complementing the expected overcast conditions that will allow for swing. The pitch will still ultimately break up and take spin on days four and five of the test.

England has no real need to make changes, but the 'team first' attitude of both Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss may still mean changes occur. Should no changes be made, Ajmal Shazad and Monty Panesar will be victims of the strong team performances by the English and will continue to sit out alongside Steve Finn, the leading wicket taker in the first three tests. The English, if faced with conditions and a pitch showing the slightest inference of assisting the pacemen, will most probably elect to bowl first at the struggling Australian batsmen.

Australia will no doubt replace the injured Ryan Harris with a spinner. Based upon the recent spin bowling policy of the Australian selectors, speculation on who will fill this position is futile. The Australians, trying desperately to regain some morsel of respect and level the series, are caught between a rock and a hard place should they win the toss. Should they bat first they risk being humbled in similar fashion to the test against Pakistan 12 months ago and the recent MCG test. Electing to bowl first may give the pacemen a chance in conducive conditions however will require that they face up to Graeme Swann in the fourth innings on days four and five.

Pitching it up: A commentary

Matthew Wood investigates how much the pitch actually makes a difference.

As play during the Third Test match at the WACA ground showed, the character and life of a pitch is essential to the type of cricket that it produces. Long renowned as one of the fastest and bounciest pitches in the world, over the past decade or so the strip in Perth lost a lot of the speed that made it famous. Changes in the type of grass and the drainage system employed meant that suddenly the vicious fast-bowling paradise of yesteryear became an easier proposition for batsmen to take on and score runs.

In similar circumstances, Sydney's strip still holds it's name as a "turner" yet in recent Tests has become more bland as batsmen have increasingly controlled proceedings. The ground still "takes spin", but not to the same extent as during the 1980s where fair-to-middling spinners Bob Holland, Peter Taylor, Peter Sleep and, famously, Allan Border were able to bowl Australia to victory.

First under Dennis Lillee's control and now under fellow Test player Graeme Wood, the WACA has recently sought to rediscover its own pacy nature, sometimes at the expense of a full five days of cricket. The Third Ashes Test ended inside four days, meaning that the WACA itself was deprived of at least one day's attendance money, a sacrifice they seem prepared to make to ensure that the Perth strip maintains its reputation as a pitch that bowlers would like to carry around with them.

But the Perth Test's pacy strip didn't preclude performances; it's just that both batsmen and bowlers had to play well to get results. Hussey's technique was exemplary during his two innings and there's no coincidence that the guy with (probably) England's best technique, Ian Bell, was the pick of their batsmen. The bowlers who got rewards bowled to wont of the pitch and not to how they thought they should bowl.

As cricket increasingly becomes a business and revenue is all-important, making a Test match carry on for the full five days has become paramount to filling the pockets of state cricket associations. That, combined both with drop-in pitches and a subcontinentally-led trend towards One-Day strips favouring batsmen means since the mid-1990s each pitch in Australia has become more bland and, to a certain extent, lost their individuality.

The ideal pitch was always said to produce a result on the afternoon of the fifth day of a Test. That way, it ensured there was something in it early for the quick bowlers and something in it late for the spinners. Perhaps it's time to dismiss the notion that crowds and administrators get their money's worth by how long a match endures. Surely the quality of match ensures value for money, not the quantity?

In proof, The best One-Day match I have attended was in 1992 when the Australians defended 199 against a West Indies side at the tail end of their greatness. The pitch, the players and the situation made for great cricket, not the fact that the match went the distance. The match, in Melbourne, went to fifty overs per side but ended only just after 9.30pm.

Once Cricket Australia acknowledge that we watch cricket for astounding feats and just to kill three, eight or forty hours, then pitches the country over will hopefully begin to regain their own unique natures and we'll again have the greatest variety in the world of pitches. Also, Australia as a team would be so much the stronger because players in domestic competitions will have matured playing on different types of wickets and not the same uniform tracks which encourage a good eye rather than a good technique.

The WACA, an association faced with bankruptcy only a matter of years ago, has made the conscious decision to ensure the pitches they prepare are different and true to the form that's been the case in Perth over forty years of Test cricket. By being prepared to make the choice of identity over profit, they will in time benefit firstly as the Warriors develop a home-ground advantage that no other state can match, and also as fans flock to matches because a pitch that demands perfect technique will produce performances of the highest quality. I'd take three days of magnificent all-around cricket instead of five days of batting on a flat deck any day: we watch sport for the challenge as well as the result and the WACA, by remaining true to what it believes, has invigorated this Ashes series.