Sohaib Maqsood:
Rebuttal:
Absolutely disagree, because of many reasons but mainly:
Blue Print for Pitches:
Pakistan has been blessed with variance in climatic & soil conditions & advantage should be taken with different pitches and atmospheric conditions. Gawadar, Karachi, Lahore, Multan & Peshawar etc. have different characteristics and historically pitches have had their own characteristics e.g. Karachi (conducive to reverse swing), Rawalpindi with bounce and what is needed is to ensure that they are relayed/repaired while true to their original characteristics.
The FC season needs to be then planned to ensure that teams are rotated across the domestic grounds with variety of pitches, so they gain the experience which is vital for both bowlers and batsmen.
A-Tours:
Duke vs kookaburra?
This is a little bit of forward thinking but PCB can look at the International Schedule for the next 2-3 cycles, study the conditions and the ball and tailor their FC cycle accordingly to use for example 80% kookaburra & 20% Duke.
Data Analytics:
There is a gap in Pakistan Domestic Data Analytics and stats & players should be identified with not just Runs/SR but WHERE they scored them.
Same for Bowlers, wickets/economy & WHERE they performed.
If the ball strategy is implemented then WHICH ball was used can also be taken into consideration.
Horses for Courses Selection Policy:
All of the above isn't very expensive but will make selection relatively easier and PCB will have a pool of players to select for a given tour based on the prevalent conditions at home or abroad.
How to prepare?
Your domestic Cricket is now as diverse as possible so your practice sessions should now be as meticulously planned as possible. In order to practice batting on "rank turners", rig your Nets (scratch/damage the batting areas to simulate rough and then get them bone dry) and then make batsmen bat for hours with multiple bowlers.
It is clear that current Batsmen are not reading the bowl out of the bowlers hand and the only way to learn it is to make them face different bowlers in the Nets for hours on end.
Batsmen also need to learn to play spin LATE and again, the only way to do is to play in the Nets for hours.
In order to prepare for fast bouncy conditions, prepare the Net (with marble slab or whatever) and make them practice against different bowlers & even reduce the length of the pitch to simulate pace.
How do you think that Australia prepare when they tour India for turning pitches?
Bowling machines or Cricket Ball Throwers DO NOT teach how to read the delivery from the bowler's hands.
If we want to follow these Rank turners you will have to make 3,4 firstclass cricket centres where players play firstclass cricket there and you better choose batters from there if you need to change you can't pick batsmen facing Duke balls on Green tops and come to Test cricket and face this spin Spare of thoughts for Huraira
Rebuttal:
Absolutely disagree, because of many reasons but mainly:
- PCB is a volatile organization with a revolving door of Administrators & Coaches and when the next PCB Chairman comes along who is loyal to the next Government who hires a choice of a Coach with a different strategy to “Aaqib-ball”, what will PCB do, dig up the pitches and have them re-laid?
- Relaying Pitches is expensive, and Pakistan doesn’t have the money to put their eggs in 1 basket.
- What happens if in the next 5 years, we have 3-4 tall hit-the-deck-quicks & no promising spinners, relay the pitches again?
- Which other Cricketing Nation, keeps on relaying pitches based on strategy of current coaches?
Blue Print for Pitches:
Pakistan has been blessed with variance in climatic & soil conditions & advantage should be taken with different pitches and atmospheric conditions. Gawadar, Karachi, Lahore, Multan & Peshawar etc. have different characteristics and historically pitches have had their own characteristics e.g. Karachi (conducive to reverse swing), Rawalpindi with bounce and what is needed is to ensure that they are relayed/repaired while true to their original characteristics.
The FC season needs to be then planned to ensure that teams are rotated across the domestic grounds with variety of pitches, so they gain the experience which is vital for both bowlers and batsmen.
Augment the experience of playing across diverse and different venues domestically with multiple A-Tours in a year, where the top domestic players gain more experience in diverse conditions.Duke vs kookaburra?
This is a little bit of forward thinking but PCB can look at the International Schedule for the next 2-3 cycles, study the conditions and the ball and tailor their FC cycle accordingly to use for example 80% kookaburra & 20% Duke.
Data Analytics:
There is a gap in Pakistan Domestic Data Analytics and stats & players should be identified with not just Runs/SR but WHERE they scored them.
Same for Bowlers, wickets/economy & WHERE they performed.
If the ball strategy is implemented then WHICH ball was used can also be taken into consideration.
Horses for Courses Selection Policy:
All of the above isn't very expensive but will make selection relatively easier and PCB will have a pool of players to select for a given tour based on the prevalent conditions at home or abroad.
Just like all other teams do!Your domestic Cricket is now as diverse as possible so your practice sessions should now be as meticulously planned as possible. In order to practice batting on "rank turners", rig your Nets (scratch/damage the batting areas to simulate rough and then get them bone dry) and then make batsmen bat for hours with multiple bowlers.
It is clear that current Batsmen are not reading the bowl out of the bowlers hand and the only way to learn it is to make them face different bowlers in the Nets for hours on end.
Batsmen also need to learn to play spin LATE and again, the only way to do is to play in the Nets for hours.
In order to prepare for fast bouncy conditions, prepare the Net (with marble slab or whatever) and make them practice against different bowlers & even reduce the length of the pitch to simulate pace.
How do you think that Australia prepare when they tour India for turning pitches?
Bowling machines or Cricket Ball Throwers DO NOT teach how to read the delivery from the bowler's hands.