What's the toughest country for ODI bowlers these days?

[Donal Cozzie]

From 2011 to 2015 or so its generally been accepted that India was the toughest place for bowlers to bowl owing to the amount of flat pitches.

Nowadays India tends to have quite sporting tracks for ODI's though.

So that being said what do you think is the toughest country in the world to pick wickets for ODI's nowadays? UAE? SA?

I reckon either Australia or England, with English pitches nowadays disappointingly giving bowlers absolutely nothing, whereas even flat decks in Australia tend to have some bounce and carry.

 

[htariq25]

Indian pitches still the flattest. UAE much more bowler friendly.

 

[troodon]

South Africa
England
Australia
India

 

[IndYeah1]

England and Australia have the flattest tracks on the circuit. This is for ODIs.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

England by far. The kookaburra does not move an inch there.

 

[mak36]

England by far. The kookaburra does not move an inch there.

Expect when Pakistan is bowling.

 

[giri26]

Australia probably? Recently I saw a statistic that the scores are getting lower in India over the past few years in ODI's.

 

[wrongun]

We certainly seem to get some roads in Oz for ODI. For tests at least they usually have some grass or at a bit green to start.

For ODI they seem to be about a Day 2-3 pitch with very little grass so hard work for bowlers. There is some bounce to work with and they ball comes onto the bat usually, which means power-hitting can see some big scores.

 

[MMHS]

In terms of stats, it has to be ENG - don't know what they have done but that white ball comes like those hockey ball on a wooden floor, thrown from a bowling machine. Their grounds are also smaller which makes it even more difficult and it has noting for spinners. After that, I think it's close between SAF & NZ - SF tracks are better for batting (& the altitude of most of their stadium makes it easier for ballistics), while in NZ they probably play Rugby & cricket in same ground, with same boundary line........... AUS wickets are batting paradise but grounds are larger and track has bounce for those who can use it - miscued top edged won't fetch 6 runs there. I like Indian wickets and grounds most - outfield is lighting fast and typical ODI wickets are fantastic batting strips, but it turns there, new ball swings as well, and fast bowlers can reverse it. Only drawback in Indian track is that unless it dews heavy, it gives a sizable handicap to the side batting first.

Morally, it has to be UAE - it's not the worst place for stats, but boy, any type of bowler with self respect should be pissing off his luck to be bowler on those dead slow & low wickets, which doesn't offer anything - neither to bowlers or batsman - even to fielders either - can't recall when last I saw a slip catch there, probably Fakhar off Gamage and % of dismissal to WK must be lowest on those soft sand beds, vulgar place to play cricket.

 

[msb314]

Probably SAF - away teams have a horrible record there.

 

[aloo paratha]

South African tracks are overrated in terms of assisting bowlers.

England
South Africa
Australia

Imo

 

[Nil Dhumrojal]

For worthless bd bowlers,it's SA.

 

[jeetu]

By Years

[table= class: grid, align: center]
[tr][td]Host Country [/td][td]RPO [/td][td]Year [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Australia [/td][td]4.94 [/td][td]2013 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Bangladesh [/td][td]5.45 [/td][td]2013 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in England [/td][td]5.23 [/td][td]2013 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in India [/td][td]5.63 [/td][td]2013 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in New Zealand [/td][td]5.03 [/td][td]2013 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in South Africa [/td][td]5.19 [/td][td]2013 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Sri Lanka [/td][td]5.46 [/td][td]2013 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in U.A.E. [/td][td]4.84 [/td][td]2013 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in West Indies [/td][td]4.81 [/td][td]2013 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Zimbabwe [/td][td]4.89 [/td][td]2013 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Australia [/td][td]5.42 [/td][td]2014 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Bangladesh [/td][td]4.99 [/td][td]2014 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in England [/td][td]5.17 [/td][td]2014 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in India [/td][td]5.86 [/td][td]2014 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in New Zealand [/td][td]5.69 [/td][td]2014 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Sri Lanka [/td][td]5.6 [/td][td]2014 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in U.A.E. [/td][td]5.26 [/td][td]2014 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in West Indies [/td][td]4.97 [/td][td]2014 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Zimbabwe [/td][td]5.1 [/td][td]2014 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Australia [/td][td]5.52 [/td][td]2015 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Bangladesh [/td][td]5.21 [/td][td]2015 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in England [/td][td]6.43 [/td][td]2015 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in India [/td][td]5.87 [/td][td]2015 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in New Zealand [/td][td]5.67 [/td][td]2015 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in South Africa [/td][td]5.73 [/td][td]2015 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Sri Lanka [/td][td]5.81 [/td][td]2015 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in U.A.E. [/td][td]4.84 [/td][td]2015 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Zimbabwe [/td][td]4.82 [/td][td]2015 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Australia [/td][td]6.18 [/td][td]2016 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Bangladesh [/td][td]5.15 [/td][td]2016 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in England [/td][td]5.96 [/td][td]2016 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in India [/td][td]5.11 [/td][td]2016 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in New Zealand [/td][td]5.58 [/td][td]2016 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in South Africa [/td][td]6.21 [/td][td]2016 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Sri Lanka [/td][td]4.91 [/td][td]2016 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in U.A.E. [/td][td]4.95 [/td][td]2016 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in West Indies [/td][td]5.04 [/td][td]2016 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Zimbabwe [/td][td]4.64 [/td][td]2016 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td] [/td][td] [/td][td] [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Australia [/td][td]5.69 [/td][td]2017 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in England [/td][td]5.8 [/td][td]2017 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in India [/td][td]5.86 [/td][td]2017 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in New Zealand [/td][td]5.44 [/td][td]2017 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in South Africa [/td][td]5.9 [/td][td]2017 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Sri Lanka [/td][td]5.6 [/td][td]2017 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in U.A.E. [/td][td]4.52 [/td][td]2017 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in West Indies [/td][td]4.88 [/td][td]2017 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Zimbabwe [/td][td]4.25 [/td][td]2017 [/td][/tr]
[/table]

 

[jeetu]

By Runs Per Over

[table= class: grid, align: center]
[tr][td]Host Country [/td][td]RPO [/td][td]Year [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in England [/td][td]6.43 [/td][td]2015 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in South Africa [/td][td]6.21 [/td][td]2016 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Australia [/td][td]6.18 [/td][td]2016 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in England [/td][td]5.96 [/td][td]2016 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in South Africa [/td][td]5.9 [/td][td]2017 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in India [/td][td]5.87 [/td][td]2015 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in India [/td][td]5.86 [/td][td]2014 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in India [/td][td]5.86 [/td][td]2017 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Sri Lanka [/td][td]5.81 [/td][td]2015 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in England [/td][td]5.8 [/td][td]2017 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in South Africa [/td][td]5.73 [/td][td]2015 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in New Zealand [/td][td]5.69 [/td][td]2014 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Australia [/td][td]5.69 [/td][td]2017 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in New Zealand [/td][td]5.67 [/td][td]2015 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in India [/td][td]5.63 [/td][td]2013 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Sri Lanka [/td][td]5.6 [/td][td]2014 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Sri Lanka [/td][td]5.6 [/td][td]2017 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in New Zealand [/td][td]5.58 [/td][td]2016 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Australia [/td][td]5.52 [/td][td]2015 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Sri Lanka [/td][td]5.46 [/td][td]2013 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Bangladesh [/td][td]5.45 [/td][td]2013 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in New Zealand [/td][td]5.44 [/td][td]2017 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Australia [/td][td]5.42 [/td][td]2014 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in U.A.E. [/td][td]5.26 [/td][td]2014 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in England [/td][td]5.23 [/td][td]2013 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Bangladesh [/td][td]5.21 [/td][td]2015 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in South Africa [/td][td]5.19 [/td][td]2013 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in England [/td][td]5.17 [/td][td]2014 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Bangladesh [/td][td]5.15 [/td][td]2016 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in India [/td][td]5.11 [/td][td]2016 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Zimbabwe [/td][td]5.1 [/td][td]2014 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in West Indies [/td][td]5.04 [/td][td]2016 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in New Zealand [/td][td]5.03 [/td][td]2013 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Bangladesh [/td][td]4.99 [/td][td]2014 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in West Indies [/td][td]4.97 [/td][td]2014 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in U.A.E. [/td][td]4.95 [/td][td]2016 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Australia [/td][td]4.94 [/td][td]2013 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Sri Lanka [/td][td]4.91 [/td][td]2016 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Zimbabwe [/td][td]4.89 [/td][td]2013 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in West Indies [/td][td]4.88 [/td][td]2017 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in U.A.E. [/td][td]4.84 [/td][td]2013 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in U.A.E. [/td][td]4.84 [/td][td]2015 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Zimbabwe [/td][td]4.82 [/td][td]2015 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in West Indies [/td][td]4.81 [/td][td]2013 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Zimbabwe [/td][td]4.64 [/td][td]2016 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in U.A.E. [/td][td]4.52 [/td][td]2017 [/td][/tr]
[tr][td]in Zimbabwe [/td][td]4.25 [/td][td]2017 [/td][/tr]
[/table]

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Last 3 years or so, it has to be between England,SA and India. All have seen scores of around 400 or more. You don't see such high scores in Australia. Around 350 is more common there. I think it's because Australia has much bigger grounds . Around 2013, India was comfortably the hardest place to bowl but nowadays ENG and SA are equally hard.

 

[Blitz]

I think these stats are a bit biased anyway.

For example, in the UAE Pakistan has always had either an amazing bowling attack, or a terrible batting line up at one point or another, and as they play 50% of the matches there, the statistics are skewed.

The exact opposite works in India etc. Maybe looking at only away teams performances in all these places will give a better statistical picture?

 

[Hasan123]

England
NZ
Australia
South Africa

 

[aloo paratha]

England in 2016 is lower because of terrible Pakistani and sri Lankan ODI teams playing

 

[Chief Destroyer]

SA is a mixed bag. They also produce the most helpful ODI pitches.

On flatter tracks, it's mostly SA dominating their opponents.