Sunday, November 12, 2006

Straight Talk from Pak

Mohammed Yousuf (Joseph John to friends) to Cricinfo:
"I don't support this at all. Wickets should be tougher, there should be enough in them for everyone. Batsmen are too dominant. The ideal pitch should have bounce at least, like there is in Brisbane which is one the best pitches." Mohali, he argued, was different altogether. "No batsmen can play well on pitches with too much grass, like there was at Mohali. Even Jacques Kallis said he hadn't seen a pitch like that before."
Is it even imaginable that limited overs international cricket can actually be a contest between bat and ball, instead of between bat and bat? Was the Champions Trophy merely a showcase of substandard pitches, or a spotlight on technical inadequacies of "international calibre" batsmen? Can a low-scoring, bowler-dominated contest actually be as interesting as fetching balls from boundaries and stands?

Thoughts?