Is uneven bounce unplayable or can skills counter it?

[Zak_Fan]

A question to PPers who are professionals or semi-professionals at Cricket. We have talked about spin, swing or seam, but are there good or bad players or uneven bounce? Can one get better at it or is it something that can't be helped?

 

[Slog]

In my opinion it removes the contest between bat and ball

I don't mind raging turners or seamers or bouncy pitches because if you have the technique and skill you can counter that

But when the ball shoots up or lays low randomly then it's not a fair contest

Atleast I have been consistent on this over the years and was my main issue with the South Africa in India 2013 pitches

 

[captain crook]

In my opinion it removes the contest between bat and ball

I don't mind raging turners or seamers or bouncy pitches because if you have the technique and skill you can counter that

But when the ball shoots up or lays low randomly then it's not a fair contest

Atleast I have been consistent on this over the years and was my main issue with the South Africa in India 2013 pitches

BS. Pitches turning from ball 1 are a disgrace to the game. Pitches naturally get difficult and low as the game progresses to 5th day. QUite common.

 

[Big Mac]

You can kind of counter it to some extent but at the end of the day you're just hoping that the ball that rolls on the ground goes wide of the stumps or the one that hits the crack moves so much that it misses your edge completely.

You can try and play your shots but it's just a matter of time before you lose your wicket looking like a tailender who missed the ball by three feet, other option is to go at the other extreme and sit there on the back foot trying to play the ball as late as possible and nudge it here and there until you see a wide ball that you can cut hard.

It's the inconsistency that is the problem more than extravagant movement or bounce. If you know a pitch is going to turn square, you can come up with a strategy to counter it like the Aussies did early on in their tour of India.

If you know it bounces more, you can practice and prepare for it.

If three balls that land in virtually the same spot behave in three vastly different ways, there's not much any batsman can do except pray that it misses the stumps and doesn't catch the edge.

 

[Big Mac]

BS. Pitches turning from ball 1 are a disgrace to the game. Pitches naturally get difficult and low as the game progresses to 5th day. QUite common.

Nonsense. If the English can prepare green tops then Asian teams are well within their rights to prepare tracks that turn from ball one.

The only reason people hold on to this notion that pitches should help the seamers on the first morning, then be best for batting one days two and three and then only help spinners on the fifth day is because that's how pitches in England and Australia behave.

The British Empire is long gone and they don't get to tell the rest of the world exactly how things have to be.

 

[captain crook]

Nonsense. If the English can prepare green tops then Asian teams are well within their rights to prepare tracks that turn from ball one.

The only reason people hold on to this notion that pitches should help the seamers on the first morning, then be best for batting one days two and three and then only help spinners on the fifth day is because that's how pitches in England and Australia behave.

The British Empire is long gone and they don't get to tell the rest of the world exactly how things have to be.

Surviving on rank turners is a lottery. You can still see off quality seam bowling on green tracks.

 

[abughio]

I think standing out of the crease can counter the good length balls keeping low.

The only way to survive is to attack.. disturb the line of the bowler. else you are goner.


Sarfaraz played well today because he was playing for balls that were keeping low and he was attacking. if couple of balls would have shoot up. then again problem


So, technically, very hard to counter. In the end i would surely say. bad display of batting. attack-able balls were left alone and good balls were given wickets.

 

[Zak_Fan]

You can kind of counter it to some extent but at the end of the day you're just hoping that the ball that rolls on the ground goes wide of the stumps or the one that hits the crack moves so much that it misses your edge completely.

You can try and play your shots but it's just a matter of time before you lose your wicket looking like a tailender who missed the ball by three feet, other option is to go at the other extreme and sit there on the back foot trying to play the ball as late as possible and nudge it here and there until you see a wide ball that you can cut hard.

It's the inconsistency that is the problem more than extravagant movement or bounce. If you know a pitch is going to turn square, you can come up with a strategy to counter it like the Aussies did early on in their tour of India.

If you know it bounces more, you can practice and prepare for it.

If three balls that land in virtually the same spot behave in three vastly different ways, there's not much any batsman can do except pray that it misses the stumps and doesn't catch the edge.

Good points. Overall it seems that the best you can do is give yourself a better chance at survival. Any players you believe are comparatively good at it? Pujara?

 

[Zak_Fan]

Surviving on rank turners is a lottery. You can still see off quality seam bowling on green tracks.

Surely not. If it was so, India wouldn't be winning 90% of their matches on rank turners despite losing the toss.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Raging turners by nature produce uneven bounce. They are under-prepared pitches.

 

[captain crook]

Raging turners by nature produce uneven bounce. They are under-prepared pitches.

Finally someone speaking sense.

 

[Big Mac]

Good points. Overall it seems that the best you can do is give yourself a better chance at survival. Any players you believe are comparatively good at it? Pujara?

Don't watch much test cricket outside of England and Pakistan so don't want to comment too much on Indian players.

 

[troodon]

Batsmen should stand a good 1 or 2 feet outside the crease to pacers to counter the uneven bounce.

The uneven bounce was coming from good length area. By standing outside the crease, batsman can eat into those areas.
All Pak batsmen were camping in the crease and got castled.

 

[Bilal7]

No, uneven bounce takes skill out of the equation. If you're lucky, you won't get a shooter from the good length, if you're unlucky you will and will either be bowled or LBW-ed.

Someone with extremely quick reflexes may be able to survive for a while but there are no good or bad players of uneven bounce like there are good and bad players of spin (Pujara and Warner respectively) or swing (Amla and Cook respectively).

 

[Bilal7]

Batsmen should stand a good 1 or 2 feet outside the crease to pacers to counter the uneven bounce.

The uneven bounce was coming from good length area. By standing outside the crease, batsman can eat into those areas.
All Pak batsmen were camping in the crease and got castled.

And get killed from a full length delivery that jumps up at you? If you've ever batted on an actual pitch like that, you would know that what you said is extremely dangerous.

 

[khurram39]

Its not that much uneven that one can not play it. WI player show that how to counter it. Its the will power and guiding the way which you didn't find any where.

 

[Smbhayi]

we play our gully cricket on these type of pitches. to counter it take a stance outside crease about 3 4 feet up and cover the wicket.

 

[Justcrazy]

Its tough no doubt.

You need to play the ball as late as possible , that is the only way you will survive.

Other thing is to go for shots , and try to get some runs before unplayable ball gets you.

 

[KingKhanWC]

There is uneven bounce and there is no bounce. All pitches produce some level of uneven bounce throughout the 5 days but when the ball stays very low or spits up on a good length, it's almost impossible to play.

You have to be brave, move forward as possible in the crease and try to play late as possible. But don't do what the Pak batsmen wait for one with your name on it. Attack as much as possible before heading back to the pavilion in disgust.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Pitches that stay low can be negotiated with a low backlift but up and down bounce is pretty much unplayable. It's similar to playing seam movement, you position yourself to cover the line but instead of playing with soft hands opening or closing the blade, first instinct has to be drop your hands if the ball shoots up. The aim is to play below waste height and leave everything else.

On such pitches, intent to score is absolutely necessary. A limited batting lineup like Pakistan would never last because they don't the shots to counter(barring Babar and to an extent Sarfaraz) thus forced to go into their shell. Every time they do try, they collapse.