Sorry to take this to a wider problem, but TBH, The Oval is not a lot different to what most of the tracks in Oz and SA are like. You have to bend your back a bit, or bowl good spin to get people out. That is why Oz and SA regularly produce the likes of Cummins,Starc,Rabada and Morkel - Few of which, unfortunately we (England or Surrey) possess , because they know they can go to Canterbury or Derby or Headingley in the next game and bowl 80 mph dobbers and bowl teams out for 50 . It's only when most of the counties start to produce tracks like this will we start to see England win Test series away from home. Might not be exciting (unless you're a batsman), but we aint ever going to be up there as a Test playing nation if we don't make it tougher for bowlers to get their wickets.
Sorry to take this to a wider problem, but TBH, The Oval is not a lot different to what most of the tracks in Oz and SA are like. You have to bend your back a bit, or bowl good spin to get people out. That is why Oz and SA regularly produce the likes of Cummins,Starc,Rabada and Morkel - Few of which, unfortunately we (England or Surrey) possess , because they know they can go to Canterbury or Derby or Headingley in the next game and bowl 80 mph dobbers and bowl teams out for 50 . It's only when most of the counties start to produce tracks like this will we start to see England win Test series away from home. Might not be exciting (unless you're a batsman), but we aint ever going to be up there as a Test playing nation if we don't make it tougher for bowlers to get their wickets.
To a certain extent yes. But on the other hand I disagree that the pitches are that similar to those in Aus or SA. Pitches in both those places will have significantly more pace and bounce on the pitches than we get at the oval. We have had Meaker and Mckerr in this matxh and Matt Dunn in the last match proving that raw pace is pretty ineffective on these pitches. Even those bowlers have simply sat up and caused no problems.
I'm not saying we should be producing green tops as the likes of Essex or Kent. I just think that we can still produce pitches with something in there for both batsmen and bowlers. That could be with spin or with pace or bounce. But these benign pitches with nothing in them produce boring cricket with no contest.
Of course the flip side of your points is that we won't produce international batsmen until we start producing pitches that will challenge them.
Anyone going to the game starting Friday against the Yorkies.?
Im off Monday and Friday next week so if after day 3 a result is likely I'll go for the last day, if it's looking like a draw I'll go to the one day game Friday.
I'm off to The Oval on Friday to recover after Thursday night - so if anyone is there , look out for a fat bastard in a Charlton shirt - thats more than likely me.
The wicket is close to the Harleyford Road terrace, almost in line with the players entrance. Bresnan opening up from the Vauxhall End to Burns, who drives the second ball to the short boundary. 4-0.
Borthwick in at 3. Lots of playing and missing in the opening 20 mins. Both bowlers moving the ball away. Yorkshire must fancy a few early wickets after putting Surrey in.
Comments
It's only when most of the counties start to produce tracks like this will we start to see England win Test series away from home.
Might not be exciting (unless you're a batsman), but we aint ever going to be up there as a Test playing nation if we don't make it tougher for bowlers to get their wickets.
38-1
74-2, still trailing by 18
131-2, leading by 39
136-3, and that's tea. Lead is 44.
I'm not saying we should be producing green tops as the likes of Essex or Kent. I just think that we can still produce pitches with something in there for both batsmen and bowlers. That could be with spin or with pace or bounce. But these benign pitches with nothing in them produce boring cricket with no contest.
Of course the flip side of your points is that we won't produce international batsmen until we start producing pitches that will challenge them.
Surrey end on 173-3, with Borthwick not out on 82
I'll probably flick on and off the live stream though!
Bairstow to 4 and lose the gloves. Foakes in as keeper. Obvious choice.
Tradional county fixture. Good memories of Robin Jackman bowling to Geoff Boycott.
Borthwick caught First Slip for 5. Surrey 40-3.