Damned if you do, damned if you don't
Whatever has happened to this pitch, nothing can detract from the fact that it has provided the keenest tussle between bat and ball we have yet seen and that surely is all anyone should ask for
The Verdict by Osman Samiuddin
28-Nov-2006
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It says a lot about modern international cricket that a pitch which has
provided the most gripping Test of the three in this series is criticised
the loudest. Inzamam-ul-Haq riled against it first, no doubt prompted by his
struggles yesterday during a 64-ball 18. "This is a very difficult wicket and it is going to get worse to bat on as the game progresses. After seeing the behaviour of the pitch on the first
day there is no way one can describe it as up to Test standards. By the
third day the spinners are going to get a lot of turn and the variable
bounce is a major concern for everyone. A total of 300 is good on
this track," Inzamam said in a column.
He wasn't the sole protestor, Chris Gayle savaging it as "the worst Test
pitch I have ever seen so far in my career because the ball was almost
rolling on the very first day of the match". Only a curator - significantly anonymous -
defended his actions, telling Reuters that they only follow orders given
to them. "We were told to cut the grass and keep on rolling it to keep
it dry and suitable for spinners and we did that."
Forget for a moment this Test. Last week, Multan's pitch was condemned for
only rising to the occasion for bowlers, as wives might complain of their
husbands early in the morning. Too easy for batsmen after that, was the
complaint. So let's make Karachi a little more difficult for batsmen,
a bit of a challenge, where bowlers can rejoice in some uneven bounce and
spin? Yet, still there are the complaints.
Whatever has happened to this pitch, nothing can detract from the fact
that it has provided the keenest tussle between bat and ball we have yet
seen and that surely is all anyone should ask for. We saw good batsmen
struggle yesterday to score against disciplined, intelligent bowling but
we also saw one quality batsman make a hundred, not painfully grafted
either, but carefully and elegantly built.
Much about today made for compelling viewing too. Umar Gul got better as
the ball got older, a breathtaking spell post-lunch pushing West Indies
onto the back foot. He swung the new ball a little and the older one some
more and if he has bowled a better delivery than the one which trumped
Brian Lara, then it can only have been to the Indians in Lahore. Danish
Kaneria trundled away for half the day, getting teasing spin and
inconsistent bounce. Who could really begrudge him that after the way he
was mauled last week?
But we also saw batsmen being fully tested and only one came through the
examination unscathed. If you had to pick one batsman, on reputation at
least, from this West Indies side to last (not score but last) on this
surface, it would have to be Daren Ganga. The batting textbook from which
he draws his base was handy, but not as much, perhaps, as natural reserves
of patience and discipline. For over five hours, he stood firm, inching
along happily and going through, at one stage, a 16-over period in the
afternoon, without hitting a boundary.
He admitted later, while speaking to reporters, that sometimes it wasn't
so bad to play on such pitches. "This is a true test of character, a real
test of skill as a batsman. I am enjoying the challenge though and as all
great batsmen have done in the past, you have to prove yourself on all
types of pitches." This pitch may be deteriorating rapidly as time passes but in doing so the
story of this match is being furthered. Batsmen have been tested, so too
have bowlers and after the second day it remains hazardous to place bets
on a winner. What you can place a bet on is that there will be a result.
And since when has that ever been bad for Test cricket?
Osman Samiuddin is Pakistan editor of Cricinfo