Will spin bowlers and slow pitches kill PSL?

[rhony]

Mixture is important.

This will get boring in a hurry especially if the pitches worsen.

It will get to a point later in the tournament where part timers will turn it square. That's just as dull as 4 sixes an over.

Good batsmen will adapt quickly and I expect scores in the 140 to 160 range very soon.

 

[Dman]

You guys are insane, I am sick and tired of watching 4 sixes an over IPL style cricket. There is a genuine contest here between bat and ball, you have to earn your boundaries, it is refreshing to see. The pitches are turning a bit but aren't minefields. Karachi batsmen had no issues playing on the up. 140-150 should be par. The scores should go up a bit as teams adjust. Only superficial idiots want flat tracks where its just the batsmen competing against each other.

Your league is just boring to watch. What is the point of T20s if they are going to be a copy of Odis till the 20th over?

 

[axl100mph]

These pitches are even slower than normal. A clear case of the soil being tired because of the excessive amount of cricket played on them in such a short span

 

[desi_launda]

The stadiums have no atmosphere,matches would make sense only in Pakistan.

 

[Suleiman]

those useless MCL games along with our games are wearing out the pitch very fast.

Need to prep that pitch they made in the Sri Lankan series of 2013-2014. The shiny one. They had a bucketload of runs in em.

 

[IAJ]

There will be high scores in Sharjah. Have been many 200+ scores there in MCL.

 

[saeed5646]

There will be high scores in Sharjah. Have been many 200+ scores there in MCL.

yeah exactly .

 

[slice]

Need belters with sheen on it. Crap pitch. I wonder where the hippies are who want to see low scoring games with ball dominating.

Bat dominating is the best for limited overs.

here is one of dem hippies !

although i agree they could try making it a bit flatter.Should not use such an old pitch.
UAE pitches sure are on the slower side but dust bowls should ofcourse be avoided for T20.

 

[slice]

A disgraceful pitch for the first game of such a high profile tournament. You don't mind good spinners doing well but when batsmen cannot even hit an average spinner for a run a ball then something is wrong.

or perhaps the batsmen were not less than average,exposed out of their comfort zone ?
Asghar did not bowl average by any means.There was more than just turn in his bowling.He varied the pace and length and bowled some great arm balls.Hence his good figures.

 

[Rana]

Well at;east PSL can claim this is their distinction from all other leagues. Its a challange

 

[The cricket enthusiast]

This is disgusting pitch for a t20.tournament

 

[Suleiman]

Stupid pitch. 180+ scores should be par for the course in mickey mouse leagues. This is very poor by PSL organizers.

 

[KB]

I like to see a good contest between bat and ball. A lot of limited overs cricket today seems to be played on placid pitches, where there is a conveyer belt of 4s and 6s, with bowlers reduced to 'indentured serfs' to use Geoff Lawson's phrase.

I don't see anything wrong with batsman having to work harder for runs. Sure some variety in the pitches would be good, but given that only two venues are being used, that will be difficult.

 

[arehaan]

I don't mind this pitch considering we will be in same condition for next 2 major tournaments Asia cup in Bangladesh and world t20 in India. This will really help us filter our best from the rest and act as great practice. We already have a great find in Nawaz and pressure is upped on Imad wasim

 

[Rafa]

11 overs 48 runs

is this t20 cricket

 

[saadsahabjee]

Im loving these pitches , much better than Boring batting fest .

 

[BaaliSoda]

(Atleast for Sharjah leg) PSL needs to get different commies. IMHO, someone like Jeremy Coney will make the viewing that much more interesting and of high quality with his insightful yet energetic free flowing commentary.

The duo of Symcox and Bazid khan are way too boring (Symcox in particular, sounding very artificial).

 

[Indiafan]

Im loving these pitches , much better than Boring batting fest .

Except that is not what T20 tourneys are for. You already have ODIs and tests for that. When the young crowd goes to watch T20 matches they do not expect seeing 2-3 great wickets and 4-5 ball beating the bat followed by batsmen scoring 3 runs an over for 15 overs. No one will go to watch such a match

 

[Indiafan]

I am sorry, but these are just not T20 pitches

People have been saying, Pak bowling attack is so much better

They have said, a good contest between bat and ball is so important

They have said, they enjoy watching bowling more than batting

The Logo of PSL is a left arm bowler (as compared to a batsman for IPL)

But, when you see Afridi turning the ball square and batsmen crawling at 4 runs an over, then you know this is just not the right pitch for such a tournament in its first season

The target audience for a T20 league is not the test aficionados who can sit and watch every play and miss and every front foot defense. The target audience is the youth and the people who generally do not watch cricket earnestly. The ones who claim they love when bowlers are just on top and can watch batsman plodding for 20 overs were going to watch anyways! They are never the target audience for such a tournament. You can have a cricket match in the Sahara desert and making it last 100 days and they will still watch. The target audience is the next generation, the youth and the ones not sold on cricket to that extent

Children, women who have no interest in cricket watch IPL matches because it is cheap entertainment. Turn on the TV, see some action every ball, go about doing your work without thinking too much. But do you expect them to see 2-3 great wicket taking balls, 5-6 great swing deliveries which miss the bat, followed by batsmen scoring at 4 runs per over for 15 overs?

The assumptions by authorities here seems to be that you put anything on a pitch and people will tune in to watch. But that is not how leagues are successful. Leagues are successful when you get new audience tuning in every match. So they should have had the pitch in consideration. I dont know whether it is because of multiple leagues being played, the same pitches being used which is causing the pitch to be difficult. But that is something which should have been thought of before

So yes, serious followers of cricket might still tune in every match but the new viewer would have already lost interest. There was a lot of goodwill and expectation from a Pakistani cricket league. Sites like cricinfo are full of comments on how people from different countries were looking forward to this league. But like me, many of them might have already lost interest. Pakistan T20 team is one of the most entertaining one and I try to follow every international T20 they play. There are players I really want to follow and watch their performance. I have seen every match till now and follow the live updates in the periods I can't. And I have been really bored for most of the duration

Here's hoping that the pitches improve (plus Sharjah pitch being better) as the tournament progresses and that we see better pitches in the coming seasons.

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Agreed. Need to cater to the casual audience too. Hopefully Sharjah will be better. Win toss, win game

 

[Saj]

I'm quite enjoying a more even battle between bat and ball.

Also as Luke Wright and others have proved that if you have the skills and patience, then you can as a batsman succeed on these pitches.

 

[Indiafan]

I'm quite enjoying a more even battle between bat and ball.

Also as Luke Wright and others have proved that if you have the skills and patience, then you can as a batsman succeed on these pitches.

That is not the point though. 4 runs per over in a T20 game is not an even battle by any standards. And as for skills and patience, don't we already have ODIs and tests for that? What is the point of puting players in fancy colors, getting some of the biggest hitters in the world by spending millions, creating a great entertaining atmosphere and then testing skills and patience?

If T20 leagues were about skills and patience Dravid would be earning millions and Gayle would go unsold. Organizing a T20 leagues, paying millions to sloggers and then going for skill and patience is like getting the best cosmetic surgeon to perform open heart surgery.

 

[Saj]

That is not the point though. 4 runs per over in a T20 game is not an even battle by any standards. And as for skills and patience, don't we already have ODIs and tests for that? What is the point of puting players in fancy colors, getting some of the biggest hitters in the world by spending millions, creating a great entertaining atmosphere and then testing skills and patience?

If T20 leagues were about skills and patience Dravid would be earning millions and Gayle would go unsold. Organizing a T20 leagues, paying millions to sloggers and then going for skill and patience is like getting the best cosmetic surgeon to perform open heart surgery.

Just because every other ball isn't flying over a 40 metre boundary doesn't mean that it's poor cricket or less skilled than other tournaments.

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Just because every other ball isn't flying over a 40 metre boundary doesn't mean that it's poor cricket or less skilled than other tournaments.

Weve witnessed the same match 4 times though. Apart from the one which Islamabad lost. Team bowling first uses spinners to restrict other team to around 140 and chases it easily. It is spinning too much and you can not deny it. Just as i speak, Zohaib Khan is getting fast deliveries to turn a mile. Not asking for flat roads but cmon

 

[Indiafan]

Just because every other ball isn't flying over a 40 metre boundary doesn't mean that it's poor cricket or less skilled than other tournaments.

Considering that 150 has been crossed once, and that by a side chasing, every other ball not crossing the boundary seems to be an understatement

Skills and good cricket might not be lacking but entertainment certainly seems to be (IMO). And for such leagues entertainment triumphs skills. And again I am talking from the point of view of a casual cricket fan and not hard core followers who have the patience and suave to enjoy "good" cricket over entertaining cricket

 

[Saj]

Considering that 150 has been crossed once, and that by a side chasing, every other ball not crossing the boundary seems to be an understatement

Skills and good cricket might not be lacking but entertainment certainly seems to be (IMO). And for such leagues entertainment triumphs skills. And again I am talking from the point of view of a casual cricket fan and not hard core followers who have the patience and suave to enjoy "good" cricket over entertaining cricket

Entertainment isn't just batsmen mishitting the ball of a top edge for 6 or a batsman slogging a bowler for 60 and the ball going 50 metres.

For some, entertainment is about the bowlers sometimes getting a fair crack of the whip.

It's not as if teams have been bowled out for 80!

 

[slice]

That is not the point though. 4 runs per over in a T20 game is not an even battle by any standards. And as for skills and patience, don't we already have ODIs and tests for that? What is the point of puting players in fancy colors, getting some of the biggest hitters in the world by spending millions, creating a great entertaining atmosphere and then testing skills and patience?

If T20 leagues were about skills and patience Dravid would be earning millions and Gayle would go unsold. Organizing a T20 leagues, paying millions to sloggers and then going for skill and patience is like getting the best cosmetic surgeon to perform open heart surgery.

the thing is that Tests and ODI`s these days are also being affected by this malaise of run fests.
SO a change you see ?Its interesting

 

[Bewal Express]

For the audience it's aimed at: the casual fan with a family, it's not entertaining.

 

[Manager101]

Entertainment isn't just batsmen mishitting the ball of a top edge for 6 or a batsman slogging a bowler for 60 and the ball going 50 metres.

For some, entertainment is about the bowlers sometimes getting a fair crack of the whip.

It's not as if teams have been bowled out for 80!

Agreed !!

 

[KB]

Entertainment isn't just batsmen mishitting the ball of a top edge for 6 or a batsman slogging a bowler for 60 and the ball going 50 metres.

For some, entertainment is about the bowlers sometimes getting a fair crack of the whip.

It's not as if teams have been bowled out for 80!

I quite agree. Some people seem to be advocating a 'dumbed down' version of cricket, but that perhaps says more about themselves than the actual cricket that has been played. Cricket is far more interesting when there is a contest between bat and ball, rather than a situation where the bowlers are merely there to take it in turns in getting hit for boundaries.

As Gideon Haigh, the highly respected cricket writer wrote:

"What we are overdue, however, is a generalized consideration, by administrators, players and press, of what makes cricket special, different, unique - which we are sometimes not very good at articulating. The modern assumption seems to be that the bigger, wilder and louder the spectacle, the better. But that is an imposition of TV’s values on cricket, and they are not the same. Cricket seems to me to have two priorities that we should be doing our best to nurture and promote: preservation of the equilibrium of bat and ball, and maximizing of the variety of its skills. The current direction of the game seems antagonistic to both."

 

[Adil_94]

Cricket fans on here who are diehards yes they will like seeing this. And the odd game being dominated by spin is fine. We have to look at the wider fan Base. They will want to see boundaries and big scores. For casuals t20= 4s and 6s. Pakistan is a a nation that idolises Afridi and he's a hero for many Pakistani fans. It's not Younis is it. To get wider popularity the pitches need to be more batting friendly. Pp represents what 1 % of the fanbase. Casuals won't be enjoying every game the teams struggling to get to 140.

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[dhump]

For the audience it's aimed at: the casual fan with a family, it's not entertaining.

Bhai may be your family...my family is enjoying it quite a bit, loving it here actually this weekend is dedicated to PSL and it is like a running gala which will be missed when over.

Thank You PCB much needed.


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[dhump]

It is quite clear that for Indian fans bat dominating is only form of entertainment. I think as a Pakistani fan we grew watching low scoring encounters and we enjoy it quite a bit, for me a slog fest would be very very boring.


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[KB]

Osman Samiuddin:

http://www.thenational.ae/sport/cri...e-so-far-a-t20-league-that-feels-like-cricket

Sixes not necessary: Pakistan Super League, so far, a T20 league that feels like cricket

Here is a question difficult to ignore after the first three days of the Pakistan Super League (PSL): how much of the success of a Twenty20 league is dependent on the boundaries and sixes its batsmen hit?

We are led to believe of course that it is directly related – the more that are hit, the better the league is. That is, we are told and sold, the essence of the format. Fans, we assume, only enjoy fours and sixes.

The boundary counter, somewhere on your TV screen, has become an important visual, a de facto USP of most leagues, ticking along as ceaselessly as the modern athletes’ air miles account.

The game gives in. Bats become more powerful. Boundary ropes start creeping in. Sponsors’ cravings, to be heard every time one is hit, want more, so that their names are heard more often on air.

Four matches into the PSL, however, the boundary counter is pottering along, a friendly Sunday promenade of boundaries rather than the mad rush into oblivion of other leagues.

It is a small sample size, but 84 fours and 33 sixes represents a sedate haul. There has been no hundred. No team has totalled even 150, a score at the lowest end of most team’s ambitions over 20 overs (the highest till halfway through yesterday was Karachi Kings’ 147 for seven).

There has been no rat-a-tat-tat burst of boundary-hitting yet, no audacious feat of batsmanship that leaves both senses and statistics scrambled.

Sharjah, where some in the Masters Champions League (MCL) are currently producing batting feats the format is more used to, is likely to change matters when the PSL moves there this week.

There, the pitch has regained that old, familiar glassy sheen. In Dubai though, the surface has been slow, more favourable to spin, not stroke-making. The ball has gripped and not come on to the bat. Fast bowlers have located productive lengths on it.

The boundaries have also been deliberately left bigger than what you may find around the world. The straight boundaries from either end are at least 80m; the longest is 83m at deep midwicket from the commentary end.

And you know what? It has been, from a cricketing point of view, no less compelling for it.

None of the matches have been especially close as contests but because bowlers have been in the game, they have contained what is the basic requirement of all sporting contests: the idea of equality.

Take Friday night’s game between Peshawar Zalmi and Islamabad United. Peshawar won comfortably enough but realising that the pace of Wahab Riaz and Shaun Tait was a strength and not liability was a reawakening to the forgotten possibilities of the format.

Watching left-arm spinners construct classic left-arm spinner dismissals has brought the exhilarating rush to the head of emancipation. Batsmen have had to work out how to build totals and find boundaries, knowing that mis-hits will result in dismissals not boundaries. They have had to run hard.

Consequently, it has felt like cricket and not, as Twenty20 can often feel, like a gross distortion of the game.

 

[King Cobra]

Cricket fans on here who are diehards yes they will like seeing this. And the odd game being dominated by spin is fine. We have to look at the wider fan Base. They will want to see boundaries and big scores. For casuals t20= 4s and 6s. Pakistan is a a nation that idolises Afridi and he's a hero for many Pakistani fans. It's not Younis is it. To get wider popularity the pitches need to be more batting friendly. Pp represents what 1 % of the fanbase. Casuals won't be enjoying every game the teams struggling to get to 140.

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I don't get why Die hards even bother about T20 Cricket, they have their attritional Test cricket for that, no?

And btw, what are these low scoring matches producing anyway? Was there a single thriller?

Team 1st scores 120, Team 2nd chases with ease with 5 overs to spare. Where was the contest?

Contest is when both teams struggle to score runs and it's a tight finish. These matches have been only incredibly dull and Boring, not just because they were low scoring but due to lack of contest.

T20s was also about tight finishes, last ball thrillers, not just 4s and Sixes... So what has the so Called even contest between bat and ball provided?

 

[waqar goraya]

I personally loathe run fests but pitch should at least have enough pace in it for batsmen to drive on the up.

i love a typical T20 pitch where the par score is around 160. But on this Dubai pitch it is almost a winning score.

I am happy with the big ground.

 

[Adil_94]

I don't get why Die hards even bother about T20 Cricket, they have their attritional Test cricket for that, no?

And btw, what are these low scoring matches producing anyway? Was there a single thriller?

Team 1st scores 120, Team 2nd chases with ease with 5 overs to spare. Where was the contest?

Contest is when both teams struggle to score runs and it's a tight finish. These matches have been only incredibly dull and Boring, not just because they were low scoring but due to lack of contest.

T20s was also about tight finishes, last ball thrillers, not just 4s and Sixes... So what has the so Called even contest between bat and ball provided?

Yeah exactly but they oare interested only because it's psl. There hasn't been one game that has gone down to the wire it's mostly been one sided games that have been dominated by the team batting second. Watching teams struggle to make 130-140 then see the opposition make it with 25 30 balls to spare how is that entertainment. If the games were going down to the last overs and last few balls then at least there would be an excitement factor but atm the tournament has been very predictable and formulaic. Seeing 200 totals all the time isn't good but at least 150 160 should be being made on these tracks. That will be the bare minimum when we play the WT20. Seeing teams struggle to make 130 isn't entertaining just because bowlers are dominating.

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[King Cobra]

It is quite clear that for Indian fans bat dominating is only form of entertainment. I think as a Pakistani fan we grew watching low scoring encounters and we enjoy it quite a bit, for me a slog fest would be very very boring.


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Have some shame, it is clear this and that bla bla bla

You are from a country which has Afridi as the Poster Boy of Cricket and you have the audacity to point fingers at the Indians.

Are all those millions in Pakistan who cheer for the Beast and are inspired by him Indians?

 

[dhump]

Have some shame, it is clear this and that bla bla bla

You are from a country which has Afridi as the Poster Boy of Cricket and you have the audacity to point fingers at the Indians.

Are all those millions in Pakistan who cheer for the Beast and are inspired by him Indians?

If you speak from your backside I would love to shove it back in without much hesitation so be careful.

And no we have poster boys like Wasim,Waqr,Imran,Shoaib and from country who dominated cricket world always with their bowling.

On the flip side Indians always love their 400 each team slog feasts.

Next time think before you vomit your filth and call me to have some shame. Nothing annoys me more than an idiot who also lack general talking manners.

And yes I live by "Jaisa moun waisi Chapair" theory so be careful.



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[UpInTheAir]

Who's idea is the budha nonsense MCL league?

Sent from pone

 

[Bewal Express]

I agree with those that say six after six is just as boring as no sixes in T20 but for the casual fan,watching some pretty average spinners turning it square is not entertainment either.

 

[shaz619]

Do the pitches in the PSL really need doctoring to ensure big totals?

The crowd attendance is not reflective of the type of entertainment fans desire, the ratings in Pakistan for the tournament have been fine thus far. In the UAE the people work there most of their time and are usually free on a friday, attendance generally improves on that day if a game is on.

However, what can set the PSL apart from others are low scoring thrillers. If Batsman have the the necessarily skills to counter the conditions they will do well, Kevin batted beautifully; his patience and temperament are qualities which batsman lack today.

Bowling has always been Pakistan's major strength, let that be a signature for the PSL as well. Hopefully, the PSL can also be used to give rookie talent the platform to display their quality and give the batsman experience playing against international level bowling attacks.

[MENTION=136193]Adil_94[/MENTION] [MENTION=53290]Markhor[/MENTION] [MENTION=137419]dashing_man[/MENTION] [MENTION=47617]Red Devil[/MENTION] [MENTION=136729]Suleiman[/MENTION]

 

[ChachaCricket]

The pitches aren't sluggish because PCB wants them to be. The soil is simply worn out because of the amount of cricket that's been played on these wickets in the past month.

 

[Dman]

Same teams in Pakistan will produce high scores, nothing to do with quality.

 

[dashing_man]

The crowd attendance is not reflective of the type of entertainment fans desire, the ratings in Pakistan for the tournament have been fine thus far. In the UAE the people work there most of their time and are usually free on a friday, attendance generally improves on that day if a game is on.

However, what can set the PSL apart from others are low scoring thrillers. If Batsman have the the necessarily skills to counter the conditions they will do well, Kevin batted beautifully today; his patience and temperament are qualities which batsman lack today.

Bowling has always been Pakistan's major strength, let that be a signature for the PSL as well. Hopefully, the PSL can also be used to give rookie talent the platform to display their quality and give the batsman experience playing against international level bowling attacks.

[MENTION=136193]Adil_94[/MENTION] [MENTION=53290]Markhor[/MENTION] [MENTION=137419]dashing_man[/MENTION] [MENTION=47617]Red Devil[/MENTION]

NO!!

no need at all. Crowd is not an issue here, even if there were similar pitches to IPL the turnout would have been the same.

The biggest and most important thing that has happened during the PSL is people in Pakistan are going crazy over it. This was the biggest Goal imo.

UAE folks will never come to watch a game during workdays, never. They don't even come to International games during workdays. Plus DSC is like miles away for the folks, so no one is going to bother wasting their time.
Sharjah will have big crowds I can guarantee that because its easy access and no huffs and puffs, should expect good crowd during night games.

On another note, PSL is going really well. We are finally seeing Proper competitive cricket. No tracks to bully batsmen or bowlers. These turfs are the best for cricket and every game should have such wickets. If you bat well you will score runs, if you bowl well you will stop runs and get wickets. Classic Cricket is on display and I'm loving it. This is the cricket I have been missing, this is why I fell in love with this game.
Boundaries aren't squeezed, the pitch assist all types of bowlers and batsmen.

 

[shaz619]

NO!!

no need at all. Crowd is not an issue here, even if there were similar pitches to IPL the turnout would have been the same.

The biggest and most important thing that has happened during the PSL is people in Pakistan are going crazy over it. This was the biggest Goal imo.

UAE folks will never come to watch a game during workdays, never. They don't even come to International games during workdays. Plus DSC is like miles away for the folks, so no one is going to bother wasting their time.
Sharjah will have big crowds I can guarantee that because its easy access and no huffs and puffs, should expect good crowd during night games.

On another note, PSL is going really well. We are finally seeing Proper competitive cricket. No tracks to bully batsmen or bowlers. These turfs are the best for cricket and every game should have such wickets. If you bat well you will score runs, if you bowl well you will stop runs and get wickets. Classic Cricket is on display and I'm loving it. This is the cricket I have been missing, this is why I fell in love with this game.
Boundaries aren't squeezed, the pitch assist all types of bowlers and batsmen.

[MENTION=136193]Adil_94[/MENTION] look, Eugene with some sense for once lmao got his sledge hammer out. Great post and totally agree, you're in the UAE at the moment right? [MENTION=137419]dashing_man[/MENTION] think you work there. But yeah as I said, it has taken off in Pakistan and that's the main thing but what I love more then anything is competitive cricket and tracks which reward good batting and bowling. Am bored of the mindless slogging involving bowlers being slaughtered 9 times out of 10; it wasn't bad to watch at first but it gets repetitive. The PSL has been a breath of fresh air.

 

[dashing_man]

[MENTION=136193]Adil_94[/MENTION] look, Eugene with some sense for once lmao got his sledge hammer out. Great post and totally agree, you're in the UAE at the moment right? [MENTION=137419]dashing_man[/MENTION] think you work there. But yeah as I said, it has taken off in Pakistan and that's the main thing but what I love more then anything is competitive cricket and tracks which reward good batting and bowling. Am bored of the mindless slogging involving bowlers being slaughtered 9 times out of 10; it wasn't bad to watch at first but it gets repetitive. The PSL has been a breath of fresh air.

POTW

 

[Suleiman]

The crowd attendance is not reflective of the type of entertainment fans desire, the ratings in Pakistan for the tournament have been fine thus far. In the UAE the people work there most of their time and are usually free on a friday, attendance generally improves on that day if a game is on.

However, what can set the PSL apart from others are low scoring thrillers. If Batsman have the the necessarily skills to counter the conditions they will do well, Kevin batted beautifully; his patience and temperament are qualities which batsman lack today.

Bowling has always been Pakistan's major strength, let that be a signature for the PSL as well. Hopefully, the PSL can also be used to give rookie talent the platform to display their quality and give the batsman experience playing against international level bowling attacks.

[MENTION=136193]Adil_94[/MENTION] [MENTION=53290]Markhor[/MENTION] [MENTION=137419]dashing_man[/MENTION] [MENTION=47617]Red Devil[/MENTION] [MENTION=136729]Suleiman[/MENTION]

I partially agree with you. Yeah today was a great day for PSL with 2 back to back thrillers (which included a trademark Karachi choke ), just wish there was a bigger crowd today, but totally understandable since tomorrow is a work day.

In fact, people are way too harsh on the crowd attendance. This is a foreign country, with Pakistanis making up 12.5% of the total population. And as I've said before, overseas Pakistanis who I've met IRL are not as passionate about cricket as the locals, and understandably again.

BUT having said that I think it's important for these t20 leagues whether IPL, BBL or best friends for life t20, to be about ram slam big totals, sixes and fours. That's what the common person associates with t20s, and looks forward to watch when he buys a ticket for a t20 game. Yeah you may get a low scoring thriller on occassion with pitches like these, which might be entertaining, but mostly so far we've seen one sided games where one side crumbles to 120-130, and the other team chases it ease. Yeah you might get the same with phattas where one team scores 200 and the other collapses for 170, but there is much more entertainment involved there IMO.

The thrill of watching a batsman smash the bowler into the crowd for a six over cover, followed by a loft over midwicket is 10x more exciting for me compared to a bowler bowling an economical over in t20s. Sixes and fours also get the crowd involved. You have 6 counters in these t20 leagues but no wicket counters or >4 rpo counter. This is a batsman's game, no matter how we look at it. The most popular t20 players are all batsmen, because people come to watch them deliveries into orbit, not to watch bowlers bowl at a rate of 4-5 per over. I'm referring to the majority here, the average fan, ofc people have different tastes.

 

[Markhor]

Whilst I've never liked UAE pitches for their total lack of pace, seam and carry, and for being too skewed in favour of spinners - they aren't minefields. Its not Nagpur. The ball has been gripping but the batsmen have to adapt better.

Some of the foreign batsmen have shown how its done. So yes the pitches could be a lot better, as mentioned above a lot of cricket has been played on them so partly explains its behaviour, but the low scores are a sad reflection on Pakistani batting standards.

I like the contest between bat and ball, T20s can't be an endless slogfest as that gets boring and repetitive, and its nice to see bowlers not just getting spanked. But I do wish the totals were more in the 150-170 range as seeing a team scrape along to 50-4 after 10 isn't great viewing.

 

[santos11]

Whilst I've never liked UAE pitches for their total lack of pace, seam and carry, and for being too skewed in favour of spinners - they aren't minefields. Its not Nagpur. The ball has been gripping but the batsmen have to adapt better.

Some of the foreign batsmen have shown how its done. So yes the pitches could be a lot better, as mentioned above a lot of cricket has been played on them so partly explains its behaviour, but the low scores are a sad reflection on Pakistani batting standards.

I like the contest between bat and ball, T20s can't be an endless slogfest as that gets boring and repetitive, and its nice to see bowlers not just getting spanked. But I do wish the totals were more in the 150-170 range as seeing a team scrape along to 50-4 after 10 isn't great viewing.

Yeah atleast we must have scores between 150-170, or even asking that is a slogfest now?

Some people are of the opinion that less the number of runs, more is the quality of bowling when infact these pitches are making some of them bowlers look greater than they actually are.

Don't see the point of T20s when batting teams are 80-5 in 16 overs. Might as well just abolish T20s and play only Odi's where that run rate would look suitable.

 

[shaz619]

I partially agree with you. Yeah today was a great day for PSL with 2 back to back thrillers (which included a trademark Karachi choke ), just wish there was a bigger crowd today, but totally understandable since tomorrow is a work day.

In fact, people are way too harsh on the crowd attendance. This is a foreign country, with Pakistanis making up 12.5% of the total population. And as I've said before, overseas Pakistanis who I've met IRL are not as passionate about cricket as the locals, and understandably again.

BUT having said that I think it's important for these t20 leagues whether IPL, BBL or best friends for life t20, to be about ram slam big totals, sixes and fours. That's what the common person associates with t20s, and looks forward to watch when he buys a ticket for a t20 game. Yeah you may get a low scoring thriller on occassion with pitches like these, which might be entertaining, but mostly so far we've seen one sided games where one side crumbles to 120-130, and the other team chases it ease. Yeah you might get the same with phattas where one team scores 200 and the other collapses for 170, but there is much more entertainment involved there IMO.

The thrill of watching a batsman smash the bowler into the crowd for a six over cover, followed by a loft over midwicket is 10x more exciting for me compared to a bowler bowling an economical over in t20s. Sixes and fours also get the crowd involved. You have 6 counters in these t20 leagues but no wicket counters or >4 rpo counter. This is a batsman's game, no matter how we look at it. The most popular t20 players are all batsmen, because people come to watch them deliveries into orbit, not to watch bowlers bowl at a rate of 4-5 per over. I'm referring to the majority here, the average fan, ofc people have different tastes.

I know that's true and majority would love to watch a cricket ball being bashed on repeat for hours and it generally has been the main appeal when it comes to T20 cricket in recent times (mainly because that's what has been shoved down their throats for years) but now the PSL has a chance to carve its own identity and it may get over just as well with the fans; I recall the T20 World Cup in 2007 being incredibly successful; it wasn't a generic tournament in that there was a fair amount of balance between the bat and ball when it came to dominance. In the end closely fought games will generate buzz but I get that even for games which you could say are dull in the tournaments full of roads the chukkaz/big totals have been a safety net but am just saying screw that! the PSL doesn't need to be another IPL

 

[shaz619]

Whilst I've never liked UAE pitches for their total lack of pace, seam and carry, and for being too skewed in favour of spinners - they aren't minefields. Its not Nagpur. The ball has been gripping but the batsmen have to adapt better.

Some of the foreign batsmen have shown how its done. So yes the pitches could be a lot better, as mentioned above a lot of cricket has been played on them so partly explains its behaviour, but the low scores are a sad reflection on Pakistani batting standards.

I like the contest between bat and ball, T20s can't be an endless slogfest as that gets boring and repetitive, and its nice to see bowlers not just getting spanked. But I do wish the totals were more in the 150-170 range as seeing a team scrape along to 50-4 after 10 isn't great viewing.

Agree with this post.
[MENTION=136729]Suleiman[/MENTION] it pretty much conveys my feelings. Even the ratings in IPL are not what they use to be given the repetitiveness of the action.

 

[dashing_man]

also most people living abroad aren't rich so they can never afford tickets to watch every game

 

[Hawkeye]

No fun.

Nobody able to freely play shots and display their batting skill.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Slow, low pitches are the worst for any format of cricket .

 

[Chokli]

lame pitches, we need pitches that offer something for both bowlers and batters.

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

All because of too many games being played on the same strip.

The first 3 games were amazing. Why? It was a fresh strip.

How to improve this? Max 4 games on a strip and then move onto a different venue. It will lead to more breaks in between but that's the only way to guarantee top class cricket in the UAE.

 

[Chokli]

All because of too many games being played on the same strip.

The first 3 games were amazing. Why? It was a fresh strip.

How to improve this? Max 4 games on a strip and then move onto a different venue. It will lead to more breaks in between but that's the only way to guarantee top class cricket in the UAE.

the first 3 matches were played on a different strip.

 

[Rafa]

Remember the recent T20 Series in SA in which all matches were very entertaining, scores of around 165-185 make up for most entertaining T20 matches. An odd low scoring or high scoring match is fun but if 120-130 becomes average score of the tournament then it will church out a lot of boring contests.

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

the first 3 matches were played on a different strip.

Why change it?

 

[Chokli]

Why change it?

idiocy runs wild

 

[Hasan123]

These pitches are awful.