TAMPER TANTRUM

Apart from the occasional juicy first-day pitch, The Gabba strip would consistently have to be one of the best five in world cricket. In fact, Aussie pitches would make up at least half the best Top 10.

John Bracewell is a goose.

Bracewell flays Gabba pitch

New Zealand coach John Bracewell has accused Gabba curators of preparing a pitch that will benefit Australia in tonight's Chappell-Hadlee Trophy decider and says Channel Nine manipulated its "hawkeye" technology in Wednesday night's game to support umpiring decisions that favoured the home side.

An agitated Bracewell claimed the Gabba wicket had been altered more than once. "We're not sure what the wicket is like because it's been changed two or three times depending on the results of the last two games," he said. He also suggested bowler Daniel Vettori's impact could be limited by the recent heavy rain and "the change of pitch".

But Gabba curator Kevin Mitchell said the change of pitch was necessary due to the recent inclement weather in Brisbane.

"I've made a couple of comments before about that joker and he's not the type of person you should take seriously," Mitchell said of Bracewell.

New Zealand, along with most of the cricket world, consider Australia's ability against off-spin to be it's main weakness. So do I, for that matter.

However, I get fired up when other countries come here and complain about our pitches. Pitches that are invariably well presented when compared with pitches in other countries.

Or even more bizarre, they complain that OUR pitches don't suit THEIR bowlers.

The simple fact is, we serve up good pitches.

On the other hand, Australia go to New Z'lund next year and just like in India, the Kiwi's are going to make sure there are no super batting tracks for Australia to mount huge platforms.

They are going to serve up pitches as unsuited to Australia as they possibly can.

And if you go on the results from New Z'lund in 2000, where rugged pitches meant there was only one score over 300 and each match was reduced to a tight scrap, Australia's tour of New Zealand next year is a long way from a foregone conclusion.

Comments

[Big Ramifications]

The best Top ten, eh?

[Tony.T]

Mad Jack, name me more than five consistently better pitches in world cricket than here in Straya.

[Big Ramifications]

Jeez mate, I was having a go at your English. With you on the pitch thang.

Carry on.

[Tony.T]

Oh. Right.

Top Best 10? 10 Top Best?

[Scott Wickstein]

Nagpur, Lords, Johannesburg, but after that, I'm struggling. And ask an Indian what they think about New Zealand pitches. Though Indians are a bit hoist on their own petard when it comes to complaining about pitches.

[Brett Pee]

The world just loves a whingeing Kiwi right ? Do we seriously care what this bloke thinks of our wickets and how we should prepare them ? Well, i don't anyway. Moron.

Of course the WACA is consistently one of the best around, what with pace, bounce and then some more pace and bounce which of course makes for great cricket. Most English wickets suck Tony- Headingley and Trent Bridge spring notouriously to mind. Lords ? Nah.....wicket crap, venue top dollar, prices bloody excessive and of course always easy wins for our blokes, so it's not all THAT bad. When we venture forth to Kiwi land i'm sure we'll come up against slow, nagging seaming paradises.

[SM]

So what is a "good pitch" ? One where Thommo gets to bounce nasty ones at peoples' foreheads ? One which plays to Aussie strengths ?

"Or even more bizarre, they complain that OUR pitches don't suit THEIR bowlers."

Sweet Mother of Jeebus !!!! I seem to remember a Test Series in India, happened not too long ago, where the visiting team, journalists affiliated with said visiting team & bloggers alike (ahem !) all whinged non-stop about the pitches. Anyone recall the one I'm refering to ? Anyone, anyone, Bueller ?

[Scott Wickstein]

So its okay to prepare a test pitch where Michael Clarke is taking 6 for 9?

[Tony.T]

I'm with Wicky, SM -- You're wrong.

I never said the pitch in India should be like Aussie pitches or that it should suit our bowlers, just that it should be a good one.

It was a disaster, and what's more, you know it. You said so before.

PS: Have you seen Deadwood? Ed Rooney is in it as a newspaper owner.

[Nabakov]

All visiting teams complain about the pitches, it's of the whole game off the field, needling and shitstirring the opposition while covering their own arses.

And "I've made a couple of comments before about that joker and he's not the type of person you should take seriously," Mitchell said of Bracewell, is a nice bit of sledging.

[Tony.T]

Agreed. I can't see why the authorities want to clamp down on sledging. There should be more of it, not less.

[Scott Wickstein]

Ian Healy had good ones. "Get back to the nets, idiot" after dismissing another Pommy batsman comes to mind.

[Tony.T]

I'm actually not a big fan of send-offs, but I do like the fielding side to try and get inside the head of the batsman (like Gilly and McMillan). And I'm an even bigger fan of bastmen (Viv comes to mind) who successfully sledge bowlers.

Of course, they're geese if they get out.

[Brett Pee]

Heals comment came after Englands 'next big thing' Ben Hollioake was dismissed in a Test after earlier smashing our bowlers about in a one dayer. The kid was out of his depth and never destined to make the Grade.

I continually sledge bowlers in my 'lesser' standard of Crick and stand and chuckle when aimless balls disappear down leg and over the 'keeper. Got to be done-until the stumps are upended.

[SM]

I'm back to break up the love-fest here :-} Just kidding, folks.

I agree that the Bombay pitch was a travesty. However ...
1. In the highly unlikely event that anyone here looked in on the sporting chatter from India after the Bombay match, they'd have seen that the consensus was pretty much that the victory could not be be counted as a true reflection of the relative strenghts of the teams involved because the pitch was so awful.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/tss/tss2747/stories/20041120004900800.htm

"It does our reputation and cricket's no good to produce a strip of earth where batting becomes the equivalent of the roll of a Las Vegan dice. Winning for once did not sit as sweetly on the tongue."
The world waits for something similar from the Aussies about their bouncy wickets. Waiting ... waiting ... wait ..

2. My orginal point, which everyone here smartly ignored, was that the Aussies stayed true to tradition & complained in some fashion about EVERY pitch in India. You are acting as though the New Z's had just invented it this last week or something. Not buying.
3. What's with all the denigration of Clarke ? Gavaskar & others seem to think that he has a bright future.
4. And finally, the aussies had better learn to play spin. Or they could continue to complain about wickets.

[Tony.T]

Sorry, SM, not buying that, either.

Australia complaining about sub-standard pitches in India where the pitches are often big-time home-team pitches, IS NOT the same as New Zealand inferring the Gabba curator actively went out of his way to alter what is nearly always a great test wicket.

And no one's condemning Clarke, just pointing out that if he manages to take 6 for fuck-all, the pitch must be a disgrace. Afterall, he's a fine batsman, but only a part-time bowler.

And we know everyone back in India reckon the pitch was a joke. That point was never at issue.

[SM]

Pitches in India are "sub-standard", "big-time home-team pitches". Whereas pitches in Oz are "always a great test wicket".
That's your story and you are sticking to it, eh ?
To recap -
1. The Indian taem complained about wickets in India just as much, if not more, than the aussies did.
2. In the last series in India, three of four tests produced results. And the fourth would have been conclusive if rain hadn't rescued the aussies ;-) So I ask again, what is a "great test wicket" ? Never mind, I think i can anticipate the answer.

[Tony.T]

Yep, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. It's right, that's why. We have the best wickets.

Whether India complained about the Indian wickets is beside the point, the pitches were crap.

Just because there were results, doesn't mean they were good wickets. If that's the quality we're looking for, why bother with a pitch, just roll the grass.

[SM]

But here's the good news - I call a truce. No more from me on this subject. Merry Xmas, Tony :-}

[Tony.T]

Indeed, SM. Same to you.

Oops, Gilchrist just dropped Farhat. Actually, it might have come off his hip.