Will we finally see "flat pitches" for PSL 2?

[cricwiz]

Everything was great in the first edition of PSL except 2 things i.e. lack of 6th team and more importantly the lack of flat-pitches. The pitches (especially in Dubai stadium) seemed to be prepared for Test match cricket where the ball was turning square for even mediocre spinners. Also seamers got alot of help from the surface. All that resulted in low scores..

The introduction of 6th team for this year was not possible due to prior commitment with the other teams, but providing good flat pitches is very much in hands of the organizers. Lets hope that the organizers have learned from last year experience and ask the groundsmen of all stadiums to prepare flat pitches with true and steady bounce, so that the batsmen can hit through the line easily. Whether its Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa, England - everyone prepares pure flat pitches for T20 cricket (even for ODI)..

With bowler friendly pitches we can probably find good batsmen like Azhar Ali n co who can grind it out to put a respectable total but it would be a hard task to find power hitters. And our recent ODI outings have proven that we do not have any powerhitter in the team except Sharjeel Khan.

So the simple question is.. Will the PSL2 this time follow the world wide trend and make batting friendly flat pitches??

 

[Rayyman]

Make slow pitches. That way, only the real power hitters will come through.

 

[cricwiz]

Make slow pitches. That way, only the real power hitters will come through.

Why invent new formulas when the world has shown a successful one already?

This generation of successful power hitters across the world has come due to abundance of flat pitches where these batsmen know that they can afford to play shots due to consistent bounce in the pitch. I do not have any idea what kind of pitches Dubai n Sharjah stadium groundsmen can prepare, so the only order to them should be to prepare as much batsmen friendly wicket as possible...

This will not only help to find hard hitters only, but also bowlers who could bowl good at the death.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

UAE pitches by nature are slow. Last season in particular, they were overused due to the amount of cricket played on them prior to PSL. There wasn't anything PCB could have done about it. They'd have to replace the soil to create lively pitches.

I'm not sure what you mean by "flat pitches" but for high scoring games, pitches need to be hard with consistent bounce so batsmen can trust to play through the line. There's only one venue in UAE that comes close to providing that, Sharjah.

 

[cricwiz]

UAE pitches by nature are slow. Last season in particular, they were overused due to the amount of cricket played on them prior to PSL. There wasn't anything PCB could have done about it. They'd have to replace the soil to create lively pitches.

I'm not sure what you mean by "flat pitches" but for high scoring games, pitches need to be hard with consistent bounce so batsmen can trust to play through the line. There's only one venue in UAE that comes close to providing that, Sharjah.

This is exactly what I am trying to say. May be my choice of words were not clear enough...

Whether the pitches are slow or fast, it does not matter. They should be hard with consistent bounce all round - and obviously no cracks...

 

[hitthestump]

Meh, low scoring games are a blessing these days anyway. Much prefer to watch a team fight for their runs than everything flying for 6.

 

[msb314]

UAE pitches by nature are slow. Last season in particular, they were overused due to the amount of cricket played on them prior to PSL. There wasn't anything PCB could have done about it. They'd have to replace the soil to create lively pitches.

I'm not sure what you mean by "flat pitches" but for high scoring games, pitches need to be hard with consistent bounce so batsmen can trust to play through the line. There's only one venue in UAE that comes close to providing that, Sharjah.

This.

Play as many matches in Sharjah as we can.

 

[msb314]

Meh, low scoring games are a blessing these days anyway. Much prefer to watch a team fight for their runs than everything flying for 6.

Sorry but thats not how entertainment works.

The public want to watch big hits, 4s and 6s along with fast scoring and some drama.

Thats where the market is.

 

[cricwiz]

Meh, low scoring games are a blessing these days anyway. Much prefer to watch a team fight for their runs than everything flying for 6.

They are blessing for viewership but will not take our limited overs team anywhere. The domestic cricket standard is quite bad already and if you provide our domestic hard hitters with a hard pitch to bat on, they will lose their wicket 8 out of 10 times. We need to find hard hitting batsmen who have good temperament and can play under pressure. If we are looking for a technically correct batsman with a good temperament of hard hitting and can also play under pressure, we will have to wait indefinite with the kind of domestic standard we have.

 

[cricwiz]

Sorry but thats not how entertainment works.

The public want to watch big hits, 4s and 6s along with fast scoring and some drama.

Thats where the market is.

Quite true as well... that's how likes of BBL and IPL etc. have grown. Crowds in general love high scoring thrillers.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Ideal pitches for T20 entertainment are hard and lively pitches. They encourage strokeplay as well as pace bowling. Spinners can also make use of the bounce with top spin, wrist spinners in particular.

If you bowl poorly, you'll be punished but if you get in the right areas you will be rewarded.

 

[khurram39]

Who is looking after PCB's matters and who will give them the advice?

Chief Selector, Chairman PCB or PSL or Coach or Captain of Pakistan team whose recommendations will work?

Have they found the right problem we are facing currently is the big question.

Any how if they produce good healthy wicket that allows scoring runs then we might be able to find 1 or 2 lower middle order power hitter.