Harbhajan lashes out Motera wicket

New Delhi, Nov. 21: Miffed with the docile pitch in the drawn Ahmedabad Test against Sri Lanka, feisty Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh on Saturday said such batting-friendly tracks would kill cricket’s longest format.

“Such pitches will kill Test cricket. It’s a free ticket to batsmen and offer no contest,” Harbhajan said. The Motera track has drawn flak from all quarters and both captains Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Kumar Sangakkara said they expected the pitch to offer some assistance to the bowlers on the last two days.

The ‘battathons’ of Motera are now in public domain but the bigger picture of pitches in India ought to make cricket administrators sit up and take notice.
Seven of the last 12 Tests in India have been draws. One triple century, six double and as many as 32 Test centuries have been hit. One score in excess of 700, three each of 600 and 500 runs and no less than six scores of 400 and more have been managed.

The bowlers understandably have groaned under the strain. It has not mattered if the likes of Dale Steyn, Andrew Flintoff, Shoaib Akhtar or Muttiah Muralitharan have been in operation. Bowlers now have genuine concerns for their careers in India, said Harbhajan.

Despite his 2/189 from 48 overs at Motera, Harbhajan is not overtly concerned about his own well-being as he has picked up 54 wickets from these 12 Tests against batting sides such as Pakistan, South Africa, Australia, England and Sri Lanka.

His 216 wickets from 43 Tests at home at an average of 27.40 with 17 five-wicket and four 10-wicket hauls is still very impressive. “It’s not me alone. At least I bowled on the second and third day (of the Motera Test). The best match-winner in the history of the game (Murali) was struggling to go past the bat even on the fifth afternoon,” Bhajji said with a palpable concern. “It doesn’t matter if the pitch is not spinner-friendly. It would be alright even if it helps seamers alone. But bowlers need to be in business. They shouldn’t be there to just serve the batsmen,” he added.

Meanwhile, disappointed with the tame draw in the Ahmedabad Test, former batsman Sanjay Manjrekar said placid wickets like the one in Motera are a serious threat to Test cricket’s progress. The Motera Test, ended in a draw on Friday after around 1600 runs were scored on the shirtfront of a wicket.

“I think no sport is so dictated by the track on which it is played on. If we continue to encourage the curators by calling their ‘flat tracks’ good wickets then we are seriously hampering the progress of Test cricket,” Manjrekar told espnstar.com.

“The last thing that Test cricket needs in present times is a sport that is played over five days, around seven hours a day, and ending in a no result. That in today’s day and age looks completely outdated and the concept will not at all appeal to the younger generation,” he added. The former Indian Test player feels India and Sri Lanka didn’t have the bowling attack to pick 20 wickets on that wicket and their cause was not helped by an overtly batting-friendly pitch.

“Both the teams do not have the attack to pick up 20 wickets on a placid track. It this Test series has to get exciting, the pitches have to improve. There has to be a better balance between the bat and the ball,” Manjrekar said.
Dilshan injured
Sri Lankan opener Tillakaratne Dilshan has suffered a fracture on his nose while playing football but his team manager says he will be available for the second Test match in Kanpur, starting on Tuesday.
Dilshan collided with one of his team-mates while playing football after the first Test in Ahmedabad on Friday and he was immediately rushed to a hospital for an X-ray examination.
Brendon Kuruppu, the Sri Lanka’s team manager, though said there was no need to worry as the injury was not serious. “He is not in any kind of great discomfort. He will resume practice with the rest of the team tomorrow,” Kuruppu said. Prior to the first Test, Dilshan sprained his ankle during practice but recovered in time to play. — PTI