Anderson's Wrong To Slam Pitches, Aussies Just Take What They Get

Derek Pringle says that the Australian bowlers learn not to rely on seam or swing, instead it’s death by a thousand dots – if the batsmen get that far

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It sounded like the frustrated voice of the dispossessed, which it probably was, but when James Anderson sounded off about the nature of the pitches in this Ashes series, it struck a sour note among those who feel cricketers should play on what they are given.

Home advantage, he scoffed, after a succession of dry, grassless pitches in the Ashes saw Australia take an unassailable 2-1 lead, it was more like a welcome mat to the Aussies with their probing pace and parabolic spin.

Pitches always provide a talking point in England but only among the natives. You never hear Australian cricketers moaning, praising or championing the 22 yards they play on. They turn up, take a look, try to read the runes to the extent of picking the best team and choosing the right option at the toss, and then they get on with it, adapting their game as they go.

It is probably because they have been conditioned to knowing that bowling is hard work. Back in Australia, the largely clay pitches tend to be baked flat for batting under a hot sun. Disciplined aggression with disciplined line and length is what Aussie fast bowlers learn quick. They also learn not to rely on swing or seam as it is virtually non-existent once the Kookaburra ball reaches its tenth over.

Famously, Glenn McGrath, that epitome of the Aussie fast bowler, once said he didn’t want to seam or swing the ball much if at all. He was content to dial into an unerring line and length, in the channel outside off stump, and wear batsmen down into making mistakes.

It wasn’t quite death by a thousand dots, because few batsmen lasted that long.