Lot of criticism goes around that Test cricket isn’t as exciting a format. It is not, but only when bowlers don’t get strips that are meant for good cricket. Cricket is fast becoming a batsmen game. With all these thick blades and small outfields, ‘bowler bashing’ is always on the cards. But whats disheartening to see from a bowler’s and cricketing aspect is – the pitch curators too aren’t helping the cause.
Around the world, pitches are becoming easier to bat and difficult to bowl. However, in the subcontinent, this is happening to an extent of disgust. It’s a shame that talented bowlers, especially fast bowler, burn out and breakdown given the long spells on flat, dusty lifeless tracks. Need of the hour is – PUT SOME JUICE IN THEM.
Cricket is a funny game, we all know that, but if pitches continue to be like they are, the game will become funnier (read ‘bad fun’) where the batsmen will incessantly thrash bowlers and fielders will just fetch the ball from boundary lines, all day long.
It titillates me immensely still whenever I recall the golden days of cricket. The days of the Malcom Marshall and Michael Holding, the days of Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram, the days of Dennis Lellie and Jeff Thomson, well, the days of REAL CRICKET. We were living the game then and not just watching the bowlers being hit out of the ground every delivery.
Someone has to address this before the game loses its charm and before we witness cricket matches with pneumatic bowling machines. Kids of next generation shouldn’t be robbed of the excitement of genuine fast bowling; it will hurt the whole fraternity, big time!!! WW6PXY4QQTKV