It may have cost me a day at the Test, but I’m not about to complain about the SCG pitch – nor any of the others used during the Border-Gavaskar series.
That would be a bit rich, given that before a ball was bowled in Perth I wrote on this website: “It’s time for Cricket Australia to give the visitors a taste of their own medicine.
“So instead of rolling out the red carpet, let’s roll out some green-top pitches and see how Virat Kohli and his mates like it … if we can instruct our curators to spice up the tracks, then suddenly it tilts the odds dramatically in Australia’s favour.”
Lo and behold, here we are after a 3-1 triumph clinched with a win in Sydney before the tea break on day three.
In hindsight, I was misguided/delusional when I booked tickets to day four.
But I made that reservation while day five in Melbourne was going down to the wire, and there appeared to be realistic prospects of a similar cliffhanger in Sydney.
And that’s what played out, albeit over a much quicker timeframe that sadly made my booking redundant.
Australia also won the Adelaide Test in three days, while India were celebrating a day-four boilover in the series opener.
The only two Tests in the series to last the duration were the rain-affected draw in Brisbane and the MCG thriller.
Three-day Tests are obviously counter-productive for Cricket Australia from a gate-takings perspective, and also for broadcasters.
Yet despite the fact more than one quarter of playing time was not required, either because of early finishes or rain, it was one of the best-attended series of all time.
You can’t argue with the bums on seats. Sure, a few more would have provided extra cream for Cricket Australia’s cake, but the bottom line is the fans clearly loved the brand of cricket played by both teams.
Beau Webster celebrates hitting the winning runs. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
Pacemen Jasprit Bumrah, Pat Cummins, Scott Boland, Mitchell Starc and Mohammed Siraj dominated the series, but there were still seven centuries scored across the five Tests.
That highlighted the enthralling battle between bat and ball.
While Bumrah was unbelievable – an undisputed player of the series – Steve Smith and Travis Head still found a way to score two centuries apiece. Yashasvi Jasiwal reaffirmed his reputation as an emerging star by pounding the Aussie attack in Perth. Virat Kohli wound back the clock, albeit briefly, and Nitish Kumar Reddy celebrated what is likely to be the first of many tons.
This was a landmark series that will be remembered for decades to come, not only because of the result, but also because of the cricket that was played.
And that was all possible because of the pitches produced at all five venues.
There was a time when Australia had the finest, and often the flattest, batting tracks in world cricket.
The WACA and Gabba had pace and bounce, but good players used that to their advantage.
Adelaide Oval, with its short square boundaries, was always a century-maker’s haven, while the early drop-in pitches at the MCG were absolute heart-breakers for bowlers. The SCG usually turned but didn’t offer much for the quicks, and often prompted bringing an extra spinner into the attack.
All that seems to have changed in recent times, most noticeably in Adelaide, since the advent of day-night Tests.
This summer it appeared there was that extra bit of juice in every pitch used. Even in the final overs of the Melbourne Test, the ball was still carrying through to keeper Alex Carey at a good height.
In Sydney, it was zipping around to the extent that no team reached 200 in an innings.
Rishabh Pant bats at Sydney Cricket Ground. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
That prompted India legend Sunil Gavskar to declare: “When I saw the pitch I did say the cows could have gone and grazed on it. This is not the ideal Test match pitch that you want because you want it to go into a fourth or the fifth day.”
Sunny, by name, but not by disposition, in this case anyway. It could perhaps be pointed out that India have no real cause for complaint, given how far they push home-ground advantage in preparing their own backyard.
And Gavaskar should remember the MCG of the early 1980s, which was a notorious minefield. He’s played on far worse than the rare green seamer used for the SCG decider, and he was always bloody difficult to dismiss, whatever the conditions.
Gavaskar would have found a way to score runs against Cummins, Boland and company in Sydney, because he was tough, disciplined and had a flawless technique. Can that be said of modern players?
These days it seems not a game goes by when players, and commentators, aren’t of the belief that a deck is “a bit two-paced” or “not quite coming on”. It’s worth noting that, up until the 1960s, professional cricket was played on uncovered pitches.
If it rained mid-Test, the whole course of the match could change dramatically. A flat track could become a “sticky dog”. And remember that in those days, there were no helmets. It’s literally a whole new ball game now.
Generations of batters have become accustomed to pitches prepared in their favour. They wear more protective equipment than ever. Bowlers also have to contend with bigger bats and smaller fields, which have been reduced by placing boundary ropes inside fences.
It’s a batter’s game, without doubt. But every now and again, bowlers enjoy the rub of the green, and more often than not that’s when we see the best contests.
So hats off to the curators at Australia’s five Test venues and their ground staff – the unsung heroes of a series victory that will linger long in the memory.
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