Cricket Australia will in future consider playing a stronger role in the preparation of Test pitches around the country as short matches this summer threaten the sport’s bottom line.
The Boxing Day Test is headed for an early finish after a remarkable 20 wickets fell on day one of a Test match for the first time in Australia since 1951.
It comes after the first three Tests of the Ashes series were decided inside a total of 11 days, costing CA millions in revenue.
England’s ultra-aggressive “Bazball” approach is partly to blame but bowler-friendly pitches – particularly in Perth and Melbourne – have come under scrutiny.
CA does not have a history of directly influencing pitch preparation, instead instructing state bodies to give their local venues “unique characteristics” as part of their strategy.
But CA chief executive Todd Greenberg, who conceded pitch preparation is an “inexact science” with a range of variables affecting the process, said the governing body could step in as early as next summer.
“Historically we have taken a hands-off approach in all of our wicket preparation and allowed the staff and the conditions and those characteristics to be presented,” Greenberg told SEN.
“But it’s hard not to get more involved when you see the impact on the sport, particularly commercially.
“I’m not suggesting we’re going to go around talking to ground staff, but we do have to have a careful eye on what our expectations are over the course of a summer.
“As I said, short Tests aren’t good for business.”
Greenberg said lost days of Test cricket would directly affect community cricket and talent pathways, among other areas of the game.
“I’ve never shied away from the fact that there are commercial considerations in what we go through,” Greenberg said.
“I’m really hoping we get to day three (in the Boxing Day Test) because there will be a lot of money at stake.
“When people hear me talking about the commercial benefits, I think it’s really important to understand that every dollar we make effectively goes back into the sport.”
On Saturday, Greenberg praised last year’s MCG Test pitch which was rated “very good” by the ICC, but conceded 20 wickets on day one this year was too many.
Ground staff left 10mm of grass on the deck after cool weather in the build-up, and the result was the most wickets falling on the first day at the MCG since 25 tumbled in 1902.
Even esteemed former pacemen Brett Lee and Stuart Broad criticised the pitch for being too heavily in the quicks’ favour.
“As mesmerising, fascinating and enjoyable as it was to watch as a fan, we want Test cricket, clearly, to go for longer,” Greenberg said.
“The simple phrase I’d use is, ‘short Tests are bad for business’. I can’t be much more blunt than that.
“I would like to see a slightly broader balance between the bat and the ball and I thought (day one) slightly favoured the ball.
“I would say that I think the batters have ownership in some of that. I don’t think it’s all around the pitch.
“But yeah, we’ve got some challenges.”
Greenberg said players’ evolving tactics are a factor for consideration in pitch preparation.
“We’ve never (got involved) because we’ve never needed to,” he said.
“Clearly the players are evolving to a point where you didn’t see in tricky conditions (on day one) any real partnership that dug in and said, ‘We’re going to try and get through these next two hours.’
“What we saw was players running down the wicket trying to hit their way out of it.
“So if that’s the modern game, is the wicket preparation and our conditions conducive to getting the best outcomes for the sport? That’s probably an open question on me and others.”
https://thewest.com.au/sport/cricket/short-tests-prompt-ca-to-consider-pitch-intervention-c-21130529
