How to fix Test Cricket

The current Test series in India will not go Australia's way now. India are 3 for 296 on day one and should not lose from here. But I feel one of the main reasons (aside from India being a bloody good side) has to do with some of the problems Test cricket is facing.

These millionaire players, Australian's being one of the main offenders, think it's all about them. The belief of Administrators that cricket is only interesting when thousands of runs are being scored, and all in boundaries doesn't help either.

I watched day 1 of Australia vs India in Delhi and was screaming at the screen. "Come on! Just get on with it. No more mid-pitch conversations, no more planning, no more drinks for batsman, no more 12th man running on to discuss tactics with batsmen or fielders. Get on with it!".

Not only do they need to enforce the over rate, they need to increase the limit. These players are here to entertain us. The old scape goat of "doing what it takes to win" might win you some matches, but if it loses you spectators and support, (read money) what's the point?

Now for a long time, Australia have played very entertaining cricket, that's true, but in the field, bowling 80 to 85 overs in a day is not value for money. (Yes I pay for Foxtel so this goes beyond just admission price to the game!) We need 100 overs in a day. Don't be so precious. Get through your overs quicker.

There is another side to this argument which is also a big part of the problem. You can't expect bowlers, particularly fast bowlers, to toil away for 6 hours in 40 degree heat, and get through 100 overs in a day, if the batting side is going to cruise to 3 for 500! There has to be something in it for them (the bowlers).

Watching cricket from England is always interesting because you nearly always think that something could happen at any minute, This is because conditions (when it's not raining) give something to the bowlers. Australia and India (because they are the focus right now) need to stop preparing these flat, hard "roads" as Test pitches.

We can only insist on respectable over rates from bowlers if there is a fair chance of them actually taking 10 wickets within those allotted overs.

Cricket bats are so good these days, batsman so professional and the pitches are just so good that it is not fair to insist that bowlers just keep fronting up for more and more punishment.

The only way for us to see 100 overs in a day is to provide some incentive to bowlers to actually want to bowl that many. They can do it. Just have a look how many overs these guys can get through, if there's a match to be won on day 5. It can be done, there just needs to be as much motivation for bowlers as there is for batsman.

There's nothing wrong with the nature of Test cricket, it's simply the tactics that sides are having to take in order to try to win, or minimise damage in the biased conditions they are faced with.

This is not a dig at Indian conditions or conditions anywhere else. Some Australian pitches are amongst the worst offenders. But evidence is clear, on surfaces where are result is "almost" guaranteed within 5 days, but on which class batsman will still score runs, like most of England, and say, Sydney, Brisbane and even Perth, we get great matches.

This needs to be the case everywhere. Serve up the conditions for averaging 100 overs in a day with average scores of 8 for 300, and you'll see some ripping Test series and interest in Twenty20 crap will go away.

India vs Australia - Third Test - Day 1

Australia were again outplayed by a better Indian side today, and I've got some views on all this that I want to air.

At 2 for 27 Australia were set up to play their way back into this series. They were denied of this opportunity by "back to basic" pure Test cricket.

Watching Australia bat in the last test, I started to wonder whether they'd forgotten that you still get credit for running singles. You get a run - right!  That's one quarter of a boundary. Yet you'd think this was baseball and you only score by smashing the thing out of the park.

Yesterday India continued with what I am now calling "team batting". When Australia bat, you get the feeling everyone wants to be the hero. Too many superstars! India don't care who scores the runs or who is the centre of attention (save maybe Ganguly). From 2 for 27, India went on to score 1 for 270! There score included 91 singles! 91 out of 148 scoring shots were singles. This has a huge impact on so many things. A tired batsman, like Gambhir, late in the day gets to rest for a start. The bowlers are continuously changing there focus, doubly so when one of the batsman is a left-hander, but the biggest impact is on the scoring rate.

Australia want to go out and score at 4 an over, but you can't do that by hitting a four, every over, especially against bowling of as high a quality as Pathan, Khan and co.Score three singles and over and hit a boundary every four overs or so, and suddenly you have 4 and over. Add the odd 2 or 3 in there, and viola, you only need a boundary every 10 overs or so.

India showed us how with class yesterday. Wake up Australia it's your turn.

Bangladesh vs Vettori

I've focussed plenty on Australia's biggest loss in 10 years, but there was another Test going on these past 5 days and one in which Bangladesh looked like creating some history of their own...then enter Dan Vettori. 9 wickets and 131 runs (once out!). He captained, and batted at number 4 in the second innings. 

Amazing stuff!

India vs Australia - Second Test - Day 5

And so it was with renewed optimism, fuelled by a good night's sleep, that I "tuned" in again to the CricInfo, ball by ball commentary, hoping against all reason, for the most unlikely of draws.

The news came on the local radio station as some clueless newsreader announced, "and play has resumed in India, with a draw the most likely result...". As I did my best not to splatter coffee all over my monitor, I glanced down at the "ball-by-ball" to noticed Haddin was gone, and started to wonder if maybe, there was a nice golf course in Mohali that a few of the boys had their eyes on, or maybe they just had a piece of action at where ever the local newsreader was getting here odds from!

For a short while I lost the connection to the "Ball by Ball" feed. I think probably because most of India was by now tuning in too - when it returned, two more wickets had fallen. Disgraceful! These guys are paid professionals. I can only hope this is them, getting all the bad ones out of the way, so that there is some hope for the final two tests

Finally, the debacle was complete as Clarke fell to Mishra. Australia falling 320 runs short, half way through the first session on Day 5.

A week effort by Australia's batsman throughout, "complimented" with the docile at best bowling attack, was completely outclassed by a  focussed and brilliantly executed effort by the Indian team, who seemed filled with vision, drive and a sense of destiny. They batted brilliantly, showing the Aussies the value of SO MANY singles, when building a big, big score (twice), and they bowled equally as well, with options galore, movement, spin, aggression, everything of which Australia had none.

...and so it's on to Delhi next Wednesday with India 1 : nil up and Australia with a week to re-group.

Looking back of the four and a bit days of this match, it is honestly hard to find a period of more than maybe 15 minutes, Australia could call theirs. That's a disturbing aspect of this loss, because even in past losses, they have never been dominated for an entire Test Match - that was always the catch cry wasn't it? When you've got them down you've got to work to keep them down, because they won't stay there for long. Well they're down now, and there's only one way to go right! Up...way up!

India vs Australia - Second Test - Day 4

I watched the CricInfo live ball-by-ball commentary, doing it's little 30 second refresh thing, hoping, and hoping, that wickets would tumble, or runs would dry up, or something.

It wasn't to be. Gambhir and Sewag were merciless. Australian bowlers were ineffectual. The singles came, relentlessly, each one representing one more nail in the coffin as far as this result goes.

Finally, after I had moved away from my desk, the call came from the next office..."we got one!". Siddle, the Axeman, had broken through. Too little, too late you would imagine.

India march on and on. Dhoni coming in to make intentions clear. The lead moves to over 400 and by now, I know, the TV stations will be flashing up all those record run chase statistics as they always do in this situation. Usually, though, the shoe is on the other foot...Hussey is bowling!

And so this went on, until a strange drink break, followed by one over, then the declaration. With 516 needs, Australia out of the game.

I was hoping from some sort of statement. Not expecting Austrlaia to win, or even draw at this stage, I hoped for something, anything that would provide hope for the remaing two tests. For a brief moment I got it, with Hayden and Kattich scoring at about 5 per over. Then, the icing on the cake for India. The debacle of the second test was complete. Harhajan takes 3 for 3, more nails in the coffin and my prediction from yesterday, of an India win around lunch on Day 5 looks pretty good.

Australia stuggled to 5 for about 150 by close of play, and that took a 100 run stand form Haddin and Clarke.

Now, I've found a positive! Clarke is not out! He has managed to survive the final overs. Hang on a minute...I've just checked the commentary - Haddin takes a single from the last ball of the second last over, then takes the entire last over. Does anyone think he was shielding Pup from yet another last over disaster.

India vs Australia - Second Test - Day 3

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not writing off Australia's chances of a draw, and certainly not writing off the series yet...BUT...I can read!

India 300 in front, two days to go, in form batsmen, and bowlers that move and/or spin the ball, on their home turf!! Not looking good hey?!

Pundits around the world, most of them not Aussies, have been proclaiming the downfall of Australian cricket for the past 3 years. There will be no almightly downfall. Australian cricket is too professional for that. Others have been knowledgably noting how they will slowly come back to the pack - well wake up - they're back! Australia lost player of the callibre never really seen before. McGrath, Warne, Gilchrist etc. This is not an excuse, it's just a fact. So of course that makes them weaker.

But this match is proving, Australia is well an truly back with the pack. Now watch the front runners of that "pack" India of course, but even South Africa, India and Sri Lanka, strike and strike hard as they sense an opportunity to attain for a couple of decades of heartache.

It won't be a flogging, but mark my words we are in for a decade of cricket that doesn't go all our way, this Aussie side.

Nothing has highlighted this more starkly than the last three days of Test cricket. When Lee steamed in for the first ball of the second innings last night, swung one in and struck Gambhir, I dreamt for a second nothing had changed, that the finger would go up, we'd roll India for 80 and win on the fourth day. Of course it wasn't to be. It wasn't even that close to LBW for a start, and a couple of balls later, Gambhir smashed one through the covers for four, and India were off. Singles came at will.

So Australia could fight hard for two days, and fight out a draw. Unlikely but possible. That would auger well for the remaining two tests. More likely, Australia will be chasing close to 500 and crumble sometime around lunch on Day 5 for well less than 300 and go 1 nil down. Then we'll see what they're made of in Tests 3 and 4.

Test cricket is great stuff isn't it!

India vs Australia - Second Test - Day 1 & 2

Fair to say, Australia pretty much under the pump now!

Hayden failed again, third ball again, Zaheer Khan, again!  That guy can seriously bowl.

India smashed the Aussie bowlers on day 1, exposing their lack of penatration and fire power. Then, the beat up on a weary top order. Leaving Australia four out at the end of the day, again, last over bunny, Michael Clarke falling in the last over! This is a disturbing pattern. If you were a debutant bowler and Clarke was in at the end of the day, you'd be itching to get your hands on the ball, particularly for that last over.

During the first test you sensed that India didn't quite click and Australia were hanging on. These two days proved that, as India really clicked into gear and Australia succumbed. 

You'd think India would go onto win from here. Only a massive, massive innings from Hussey, and some remarkable support from Watson, White, Hadden and Lee can get them out of this. 

It wasn't just India's big score in the first inning (you don't lose when you make 400+ in the first innings - not often!) but their decent scoring rate, that has left them with 3 full days to get the remain 16 wickets they need, and maybe, score a handful of runs.

What will be interesting is how Ricky Ponting and Australia will react to being behind early in a series for the first time I can remember. Even in their Ashes loss in '05, Australia won the first test.

Of particular interest will be, what will happen to Hayden?  He hasn't looked good. He didn't look good leading up to the Ashes tour 4 years ago - they persisted and he didn't come good until the last Test. And Watson!  What is going on with this guy?  It appears he's injured again. Hopefully that will force him out. But who do you bring in?  A batsman or a bowler?  

You certianly don't surrender after just a couple of bad days, and Australia won't, but I think, finally, we are starting to see the impact of losing the greats, over the past two years. 

Imran Khan's blueprint

About 20 years ago, on the 1988/89 Pakistan tour of Australia I was lucky enough to see Imran Khan speak at a sportsman's night.

Among many things, Imran spole that night of being charged with re-structuring the format of Pakistani domestic cricket.

At the time - and this was well before Australia's dominance, he spoke of the quality of the first class structure in Australia, of how this was the blueprint for a quality domestic first class competition. The advantages a small number of teams, with true loyalities to local districts/states/regions, and playing regularly against the nations best, would improve the quality and depth of the talent pool.

In this article, it appears Imran is still talking about similar things. Now, granted, Imran has had much on his plate of late, what, with opening hospitals, leading political reform, imprisonment, tours of the USA, and many other leadership ventures I have no appreciation of.

In a riveting interview with Andrew Denton, which aired last night in Australia, Imran responded candidly and honestly to many questions, including "Do you think you will ever be Prime Minister of Pakistan", to which he responded "I have no doubt I will be Prime Minister one day".

Amazing stuff.  Now, as I said, while he has a fair deal more than just cricket on his plate in that part of the world, stuff I am not qualified to speak of here, it is interesting to note, he is still espousing similar thoughts and plans, for Pakistani cricket, some 20 years on, and will most likely be in a position to do something about it, some time in the future.

Imran Khan, a class act and an incredibly intelligent human being.

India vs Australia - First Test - Day 4 & 5

So Australia gave themselves a chance, but as you'd expect these days, against Laxmann, Tendulka and co. didn't quite have the cattle to claim 10 Test wickets in two and a half sessions.  Gone are the days of Warney hey?

Well, a draw here makes Australia's job of retaining the Border / Gavaskar Trophy that bit harder. A one-nil lead was what was required.

India vs Australia - First Test - Day 2 & 3

I haven't watched as closely these past two days but suffice to say, you'd have to think a draw is on the cards on this slow paced pitch, even though Australia has had the upper hand.

Disappointing really, as they all say, Bangalore is a happy hunting ground for us.

The umpiring decisions continue to "even up" as Dravid gets a shocker.  Why have these "elite" umpires thrown out the benefit of the doubt rule? Even at full pace, the Dravid LBW decision was clearly going to flick the top of leg stump at best!  Why can't they see this?

One other point - what is Shane Watson doing in this side?  He has four test wickets to his name (including tw0 yesterday)!  For the first time in his test career he actually moved one of the

 pitch yesterday - that was what got him the dodgy LBW!  His pedestrian-ness was highlighted

 yesterday with a summary of bowling speeds. Lee, fastest 146, slowest 112, average, 130-something pretty high. Stuart Clark and Mitchell Johnson were roughly the same, averaging 130's, highest right up there, slowest low 120s - that's variation.  Watson, fastest, 136, slowest 131, average 133 - that's the variation of the Nullarbor Plain.

India vs Australia. First Test. Day 1

Australia's first day of Test cricket for some 6 months showed us just what Test legends are made of. I have been critical of Ricky Ponting in the past and was even sceptical of his ability to lead Australia out of the current "lull" the popular press would have us believe they are in.

After being gifted the perfect start to the season with a dubious caught behind,

 the Indians were not able to capitalise as Ponting and Kattich lead Australia out of what could've been a disasterous opening day. With 30 thousand screaming Indian fans, Punter and Kat blunted the attack and etched out a commanding total in a fabulous day of pure Test cricket. Ponting's shots were brilliant.

It took about 5 hours for us to be reminded how things ALWAYS even out in this game. Ponting scooped a delivery back to Kumble and should've been given out caught and bowled, but was not.  The most non-elite of the "elite" umpires, Rudi Koertzen, failed to even consult the third umpire and robbed Kumble of the scalp of his opposing number. 

Kumble continued to appeal and plead and could infact find himself in a little hot water (maybe just luke warm water) over a slightly excessive appeal a few overs later, continuing the squeel long after Rudi had turned down the shout for Hip before Wicket... Koertzen's blunder didn't cost India that much, as Ricky was adjudged LBW to the off spin of Harbhajan playing a sweep shot. So, I guess that's what they call even more "even". 

Michael Clarke, now becoming a "last over bunny" it would have to be said, was then dismissed by a ripping straightner with just four balls remaining, by Zaheer Khan, finishing the day how he started with a wicket in that final over.

While I'm sure Indian fans will still be complaining about something that didn't go their way, clearly a couple of home town decisions helped them on their way today.  You get that - especially in Aus vs Ind Test matches it seems.

It will also be interesting to see if anything comes of Simon Kattich's comments while being interviewed after the game, stating, "he wasn't quite sure how Matthew Hayden was out" - incinuating the decision was a bit bewildering, then back peddling a little, trying to cover up saying something like, "ah, I mean I wasn't sure that he hit it, I didn't really see it" - well where were you looking - you were at the other end after all?

Australia in a good position going into Day 2, although India kept thing tight for the entire day. A great advantage of taking an early wicket.  Now do Australia have the spinning assets to take advantage of a 5th day wicket?

Day 1: Australia 4 for 254 (Ponting 123, Kattich 66, Hussey 46no)

Test Cricket needs this!

Remember the shot in the arm Test Cricket got when England beat Australia in 2005. There was passion in every test. There was the Barmy Army singing, and Aussies shouting at their TV screens in the middle of the night.

As much as Sewag's recent comments evoke similar hostile reactions in this part of the world (Australia) and no doubt stir emotions in India as well, unfortunately, this is what Test cricket needs. Another great rivalry. Another great series. As much as I hate to say it, Test Cricket probably needs India to win tis series (and I suspect they probably will) and for the next Ashes series to be as close as the last (English) one.

Maybe the Kiwi's could even steal a Test from us this summer.

No matter what the results - the Aussies are now going to find that sides around the world are gaining the confidence to start the "pay back" - verbally and on field, for years of torment.

The first test against India begins today - roll on Session #1...

(P.S. Just got some great gossip on Andrew Symonds, Michael Clarke, Ricky Ponting, the ACB and Darwin fishing trips, from a source contracted to one of the above mentioned...will follow up when I can write something more substantial).

How strong are Hussey's shoulders?

This result exposes just how strongly Australia will be relying on Michael Hussey on this tour of India and you would suspect, on the Ashes tour next year too.

For Australia to win, others will need to chip in, including a couple of the bowlers, but unless Hussey makes about 800 runs on this tour, I think we're going to be in big trouble.

Worrying signs for Aussies

It's only a 2 day warm up game but we've seen before how these matches can set the tone for a tour...

Australia crawled along at 2 per over with what you'd have to imagine is something close to the starting batting line up and only made it to 218.

Even more disturbing was the fact that a left arm orthodox spinner with 1 first class game under his belt took 5 wicket, including Ponting, Hayden and Clarke. Harbhajan Singh must licking his lips!

To Lead means to "go first"

I am a bit over all this talk about "pacts" and "gentlemen's agreements" over catches.

If Ricky Ponting wants to change things, he needs to lead - go first. Why is he waiting for India to say "okay, we'll be honest" before he agrees to do the same?

As soon as someone takes a slips "catch", or close in" catch" that isn't a catch, stands up, gives the umpire the "nope - didn't carry mate" - there will be no pact required.

Lead Ricky! Take the moral high ground. Be the first one to just do this, and be remembered for returning one of the traditional qualities to the game and perhaps even changing the perception of Australia's cricket team around the world.

I'm tipping it won't happen.