Beefy wants pitch doctored!

[DaveGillespie]

Davo, in case you haven't noticed Australia do this all the time. Is preparing pitches that are no use to anyone except Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Shane Warne cheating? No, it's home advantage.

Furthermore, lest anyone forget, Wrist Spinners thrive on pace and bounce more than they do turn. Warne and McGill are likely to be able to extract turn from most surfaces, but it is the pace and bounce of Australian wickets they both require to be at their most effective. Why has Warne (historically) been ineffective in the subcontinent? Slow tracks, low bounce.

[English_Al]

Davo, I think your comments are either very nieve or tongue in cheek, everyone here is right. I suppose in principle all teams should prepare wickets as they come but absolutely every team doctors their pitches to suit the home team and has done for a while, it's home advantage.

Whinging poms eh, I've been hearing a lot of whinging Aussies recently...

[Lemming]

Originally Posted by davo ramone

so you guys advocate cheating then?

I'm sure you will agree with me that we are playing cricket. The laws and conduct of cricket are laid down quite clearly by the MCC and are adhered to in tests all around the world. I ask you to find where in those laws it says you cannot prepare the pitch to suit yourself. How can it be cheating if it is not breaking any laws?

Prove to me it's cheating and then I'll agree with you!

I actually think England have done enough for Shane Warne anyway, why on earth we have left it so late in the summer to play the world's best wrist spinner I will never know.

Get the hose-pipe out, that's what I say!

[Richie Benauds Love Child]

Hose pipe ? I'd be diverting the manchester ship canal.

[John]

Originally Posted by davo ramone

The pitch takes weeks to prepare and botham wants it watered down in the week leading up to the test. So your telling me thats ok? This type of attitide will never see England be number 1 in the world because you wont be able to play on different surfaces. We had to conquer India to be the best and we did.

Of course they should doctor the pitch, the Ashes are at stake. As for being no1, this side aren't going to go round the world dominating world cricket like the Aussies (did you see the first Test). They are a good side who have had a bit of luck and now must take advantage of every situation including doing the pitch.
As for dominating World cricket a new era etc I don't think so.

[Seamer]

Originally Posted by English_Al

I suppose in principle all teams should prepare wickets as they come but absolutely every team doctors their pitches to suit the home team and has done for a while, it's home advantage.

Yep fair enough if they do try it. My experience shows that it generally backfires though - karma or whatever, it just seems to. The English bowlers have not had to bowl on a flat track yet this series and England would be well served to keep it that way. We all remember how they fared on decent batting tracks in the last two Natwest one-dayers they played. The English want to win the ashes - not be the good old "sporting chaps" we have come to know and love

Originally Posted by English_Al

Whinging poms eh, I've been hearing a lot of whinging Aussies recently...

Yes, we are mere students learning from the masters. Improving - but have a long way to go yet.

[Lemming]

Originally Posted by Seamer

...The English bowlers have not had to bowl on a flat track yet this series and England would be well served to keep it that way...

To be fair, we did a decent job (last day excepting) of bowling on the Edgbaston pitch which bounced true for all but maybe five deliveries in the match and was pretty slow to boot.

As Geoff Boycott would say "even numbers 8 and 9 would fancy a bat on this!"

Edgbaston was a flat and quite a feather bed, it was a very good batting pitch as far as facing the seamers goes!

[Lemming]

Originally Posted by Seamer

Yes, we are mere students learning from the masters. Improving - but have a long way to go yet.

We do have a bit of a belief in this country that the citizens of Australia (as well as Americans, Frenchmen and probably all other people of all other nationalities) would love to be like us, your point just backs it up further.

[The Phantom Ram]

Ian Botham's comments have probably been exagerated to make a standard statement (that every countries cricket board would discuss for each pitch) into a worldwide story.

[Irish Left Armer]

Botham should have his jaw wired shut.

This would stop a lot of trouble in my opinion. I'm willing to listen to the blissful silence on Sky.