Australia v South Africa: The pressure is on MCG curator Matt Page after the green monster at the Gabba
There’s a new man in cricket’s hot seat – and he won’t be wearing white out in the middle on Boxing Day. But he could have a big say on the second Test result.
It’s not just batsmen who are under pressure to hold their nerve after been spooked by a green monster – curators are under the pump as well.
Every major controversy in Australian cricket tends to have an overcorrection in the opposite direction and that’s why MCG curator Matt Page is the man in the hot seat leading up the Boxing Day Test.
South Africa’s two-day Test at the Gabba was the third Test in a row in which that team has been beaten inside a time period equivalent to less than two days, an alarmingly short time for fans, broadcasters and venue hosts such as the Queensland Cricketers Club who saw a booking for 400 shredded to 140 for a play-less third day.
Page has done a fine job in recent years to give the once lifeless MCG deck the vibrant pulse it needed.
Last year, he produced a seamer’s deck on which Australia dominated England. The match was over before lunch on the third day after England were bowled out for 68 in their second innings.
The wicket was rated only “average’’ by match referee David Boon though some commentators felt that was slightly harsh.
The question for Page is whether he can hold his nerve and produce another “sporty’’ deck or will he be intimidated by the two-day Test at the Gabba and all the drama that has flowed from that result?
Hopefully he will continue the upward trend of more life at the MCG but you could understand it if he had some concerns over the fibre of South Africa’s batting.
Statisticians have rated the South African top order the weakest to leave the country in 90 years. Even on a friendly batting deck they could disappear quickly.
Gabba officials are concerned their pitch will get a low rating from match referee, West Indian great Richie Richardson, who was guarded in his opinion when contacted by News Corp on Monday.
“I will put it in the report but I am not in a position to make it public,’’ Richardson said.
An MCG spokesman said they were looking forward to having a “good balance between bat and ball.’’
Getting it right is a most delicate operation. Gabba groundsman David Sandurski admitted as much after took full responsibility for what he conceded was an unsatisfactory Gabba deck.
“It is such a fine line,’’ Sandurski said.
“You are dealing with a living breathing organism. Things can go wrong at times. Obviously on this occasion they have slight erred the way of the bowler.’’
Hysteria over Gabba ‘terror deck’ went too far
Who would have thought a strip of green grass could attract more ferocious scrutiny than Prince Harry?
Seriously, the way people are talking about the Gabba deck you would swear someone had dumped a bag full of thumb tacks on it.
Was it too moist at the start of day one? Yes. Did it favour the bowlers unfairly? Absolutely. Would you want more decks like it this summer. Probably not.
But … but … Test cricket has no issues when flat wickets give batsmen the chance to make 600 – yet when the bowlers rule … honestly folks, it’s an outrage.
In a world full of blandness bread rolls what’s wrong with the occasional hot curry?
Don’t suppose the result had anything to do with the fact that this is the weakest South African batting unit to leave their shores for 90 years, one with only one batsman averaging over 35.
South African cricket journalists were freely tipping their team would be slaughtered in 11 days in the series … they may have been ambitious!
Australia wobbled as well as teams do when facing world class fast bowlers.
Surely Australia can handle one seaming wicket a season.
This deck may have been titled too far in favour of the bowlers but each team had a genuine chance to win the game.
South Africa did not lose the match because of the pitch. They lost it because Australia handled hellfire conditions slightly better.
The wicket may have been too spicy by Australian standards but had it been in New Zealand or some parts of England there would have been far less drama.
“I thought it was OK,’’ said Lord Ian Botham, a nonchalant voice of reason amid the hysteria.
“It seamed a bit. It spun a bit which surprised me and there were indentations which made a different but generally it was alright. South Africa were just outplayed.’’
It’s true you might not want all five Test decks to be like this one – but there’s nothing wrong with having an occasional terror deck.
Test cricket needs vibrant plot twists to ensure its survival. Batsmen get everything their way in white ball cricket.
Why not occasionally tilt things the bowlers’ way in Test cricket?
There is no doubt batsmen are less equipped for old fashioned hard yakka innings than they used to be.
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