What ever hype was there for the Tests has been killed by the dead Lahore pitch and the weather Gods. With over 1000 runs scored with only eight wickets falling in nealry four days of play that was possible would have put even the die hard criket fans to sleep.
All the bowlers were at the mercy of the broad bats of the Yousuf Khans, Mohammad Yousufs, Shahid Afridis, Kamran Akmals and Virender Sehwags with many batting records falling like nine pins as the bowlers looked pedestrian. The cherry kept on disappearing out of the boundary on a regular basis.
With a pitch like Lahore's who need to raise the bogey of ODIs and Twenty20 cricket killing Test matches. As Imran Khan and Kapil Dev had said a few days ago, losing against each other is not an option, the current Pakistani team seems to have taken it both in letter and spirit. Preparing a docile and dead pitch for the Test match was the first step in the direction.
The curators knew that with both the teams possesing an abundance of batting talent, the bowlers will have a tought time in picking up the wickets.
And it proved to be correct as the hosts won the toss and batted for nearly two days. As the Indian openers took guard, the weather made sure that not even the first innings would be completed.
Empty stands at the Gaddafi stadium showed that not many were interested in the batting records that were being rewritten not due to an exceptional batting skill but because of a pitch that had no venom in it for the batsmen.
Almost all the batters took the bowlers by the scruff of their neck to improve their averages. While the match was a nightmare for the bowlers it was an equally poor advertisement for Test cricket.
During the recent times many fans have been advocating that India-Pakistan Test matches have over taken the Ashes in their intensity and excitement, but after following the recent Ashes series in England, one can safely vouch for the fact that India-Pakistan cricket will take ages to reenact the drama and thrills of an Ashes.
The play safe attitude of the subcontinental teams have made sure that although they are stuffed with a lot of brilliant individuals but as a team they have to learn a lot from Australia, South Africa and England.
Going by the hue and cry that has taken place in the Pakistani cricketing circles after the Lahore Test one can only hope that the other two Test venues will see a much more lively pitch and give the fans some real action. And we can only hope that sanity will return to the ground with both the bowlers and the batsmen getting an equal opportunity. About the AuthorPriyarag Verma Priyarag Verma has been following all the twists and turns of Indian politics closely. He follows sports very closely and has a special liking for cri...Read Morefirst published:January 19, 2006, 20:48 ISTlast updated:January 19, 2006, 20:48 IST
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Three series in less than two years. Are we killing the golden goose? Unlike the last two tours in 2004 and 2005 the ongoing cricket series has failed to take the subcontinent by storm.
What ever hype was there for the Tests has been killed by the dead Lahore pitch and the weather Gods. With over 1000 runs scored with only eight wickets falling in nealry four days of play that was possible would have put even the die hard criket fans to sleep.
All the bowlers were at the mercy of the broad bats of the Yousuf Khans, Mohammad Yousufs, Shahid Afridis, Kamran Akmals and Virender Sehwags with many batting records falling like nine pins as the bowlers looked pedestrian. The cherry kept on disappearing out of the boundary on a regular basis.
With a pitch like Lahore's who need to raise the bogey of ODIs and Twenty20 cricket killing Test matches. As Imran Khan and Kapil Dev had said a few days ago, losing against each other is not an option, the current Pakistani team seems to have taken it both in letter and spirit. Preparing a docile and dead pitch for the Test match was the first step in the direction.
The curators knew that with both the teams possesing an abundance of batting talent, the bowlers will have a tought time in picking up the wickets.
And it proved to be correct as the hosts won the toss and batted for nearly two days. As the Indian openers took guard, the weather made sure that not even the first innings would be completed.
Empty stands at the Gaddafi stadium showed that not many were interested in the batting records that were being rewritten not due to an exceptional batting skill but because of a pitch that had no venom in it for the batsmen.
Almost all the batters took the bowlers by the scruff of their neck to improve their averages. While the match was a nightmare for the bowlers it was an equally poor advertisement for Test cricket.
During the recent times many fans have been advocating that India-Pakistan Test matches have over taken the Ashes in their intensity and excitement, but after following the recent Ashes series in England, one can safely vouch for the fact that India-Pakistan cricket will take ages to reenact the drama and thrills of an Ashes.
The play safe attitude of the subcontinental teams have made sure that although they are stuffed with a lot of brilliant individuals but as a team they have to learn a lot from Australia, South Africa and England.
Going by the hue and cry that has taken place in the Pakistani cricketing circles after the Lahore Test one can only hope that the other two Test venues will see a much more lively pitch and give the fans some real action. And we can only hope that sanity will return to the ground with both the bowlers and the batsmen getting an equal opportunity.
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