For two days the batsmen have made a pitch that has been testing look like a disaster area by playing, missing, edging and complaining
Peter English at the Gabba21-Nov-2008
Straight bats are much better in these circumstances than horizontal ones on lively surfaces © Getty Images
Modern batsmen have forgotten how to play on lively surfaces. Perhaps thisgeneration never learned, or lost the ability during years of pampering onflat surfaces that inflated their averages and belief. At least it givesthem something to blame for the failures in this fascinating Test.For two days they have made a pitch that has been testing look like adisaster area by playing, missing, edging and complaining. Twenty-sixwickets have fallen in two days, including 16 on the second day, the mostin a Gabba Test since the Ashes Test of 1950-51. There is no desperation to call for thepitch inspector for this is a strip that has coped well with a wetpreparation and made an entertaining contest.If the finance requirements and television stations didn’t prefer thatmatches always entered a fifth day, there would be more cause to createpitches that challenged the game’s most protected species. Australia andNew Zealand have returned from series in India and Bangladesh over thepast month and finally – but briefly – the bowlers have been allowed toupset the game’s order by embarrassing the batsmen instead of the otherway around. It’s a shame it can’t last, but the final Test of the seriesis in Adelaide next week.New Zealand’s inexperienced batsmen mirrored the rashness of Australia’sby flaying to 156, and by stumps the home side had a lead of 189.Throughout the second day there were big drives that resulted in bowleds(Jamie How and Grant Elliott), nibbles that went to the slips (AaronRedmond and Matthew Hayden), a shuffle that ended in a lbw (Ross Taylor)and a horribly misjudged pull from Ricky Ponting, who glared at the pitchbefore he left. Straight bats are much better in these circumstances thanhorizontal ones, something Andrew Symonds didn’t remember 28 minutesbefore stumps when he edged a swipe off Chris Martin.On a day of carelessness the most worrying moment came with the casualrun-out of Michael Clarke, who didn’t bother to reach for the crease andwas beaten by a smart throw from Redmond at backward square leg. It was asmall moment, but it summed up the mood of both line-ups. With the goingtough, the batsmen appeared to give up. Stupid pitch. Great match.Daniel Flynn, the No. 6, looks like the kind of batsman who would be happyto defend through to Christmas, which was exactly what New Zealand needed.Unfortunately for Flynn, he was unbeaten on 39 when his team-mates weredismissed in 240 minutes.Only four batsmen reached double figures before Australia tried their bestto match the effort, reaching 6 for 131 at stumps. The opener Simon Katichlifted himself above the damage with an unbeaten 67 that was the brightestand most composed innings of the match. He will be vital to Australia’starget setting on Saturday.While the rest of the batsmen grumbled at their perceived misfortune – andignored the need for grit to replace glitz – the supporters at the Gabbawere cheering. After sitting in the stands at times during the first twodays it quickly becomes clear what the fans want from the players:boundaries, bouncers and wickets. The people who pay to watch are capablejudges of excitement and seeing them in a hurry to stand when an umpireraises his finger is moving, literally and emotionally.These types of wickets are good for everybody but the batsmen. In thecommentary boxes there is a gentle debate about whether this pitch shouldbe called a greentop. To anyone who has played club cricket, or Testsbefore the 1990s, it looks like a wicket that would test your techniquebut is far from impossible. To modern batsmen, the ones who have to go towork on it, the strip carries more demons than an episode of Buffy theVampire Slayer. For the rest of the summer they will have the advantage,so it is fun watching them struggle for a few days.
