Australian cricket mein ab khatre ki ghanti baj chuki hai. Jab se Test matches do din mein khatam hone lage hain, tab se Cricket Australia ke hosh ud gaye hain. Bowlers ka dabdaba itna badh gaya hai ki batters ab sirf crease par haazri lagane aate hain. Mackay Test ke baad ab halaat aise hain ki curators ko saaf bol diya gaya hai: 'Bhai, batters par thoda reham khao!' Cricket Australia ab pitches ko batting-friendly banane ke liye desperate ho gayi hai taaki Test cricket ka maza barkaraar rahe.
The Guru Story
Darasal, pichle kuch saalon mein Australia mein pitches ka mizaaj kaafi badal gaya hai. Pichle saat home Tests mein se teen matches sirf do din mein khatam ho gaye. Yeh stats dekh kar Cricket Australia ke operations boss Peter Roach ne curators ke saath ek annual conference ki. Is meeting mein national coach Andrew McDonald aur high-performance staff bhi maujood the. Sabka ek hi kehna tha: balance bigad chuka hai.
Roach ne clear words mein kaha hai ki agar doubt ho, toh hamesha batter ke favour mein decision lo. Iska matlab hai ki ab curators ko grass thodi kam karni hogi aur pitches ko thoda zyada roll karna hoga. Unka maqsad hai ki matches late stages tak jayein aur fans ko lambi batting dekhne ko mile. Mackay ki pitch par sirf 3.5mm grass thi, phir bhi wahan batters ki halat patli ho gayi. Is tension ki wajah se ab Sheffield Shield aur international matches ke liye pitch preparation ki philosophy poori tarah badli ja rahi hai.
Is batting collapse ki ek badi wajah Kookaburra ball bhi hai. 2019 ke baad se ball mein double layer lacquer aur extra seam reinforcement ki wajah se ball zyada der tak hard reh rahi hai aur bowlers ko khatarnak movement mil rahi hai. Steven Smith jaise legend ne bhi admit kiya hai ki pichle teen saal unke career ke sabse mushkil saal rahe hain batting ke liye.
Analysis & Numbers
- Pichle 20 home Tests mein se 4 matches teesre din tak bhi nahi pahunch paye, jo ICC standards ke hisaab se chinta ka vishay hai.
- Steven Smith ka average 2019 se pehle home Tests mein 77.25 tha (13 centuries), jo ab gir kar sirf 45.53 reh gaya hai (sirf 6 centuries).
- Pichle season Sheffield Shield ke top 10 run-scorers mein highest average sirf 36.41 tha, jo dikhata hai ki domestic level par bhi batting crisis hai.
- Cricket Australia ne session timings mein bhi badlav kiya hai: ab doosra aur teesra session 2 ghante 15 minute ka hoga taaki spinners ko game mein aane ka mauka mile.
The Guru Gyan Verdict:
Australia ka yeh move dikhata hai ki woh India vs Australia series se pehle apne batters ko confidence dena chahte hain. Jab se ball ki quality badli hai, Aussie batters struggle kar rahe hain. Lekin kya sirf flat pitches banane se technique sudhar jayegi? Cricket Australia ko samajhna hoga ki batters ko 'spoon-feeding' karne se woh overseas conditions mein aur bhi bura phasenge. Test cricket ka asli maza struggle mein hai, lekin 2-day finishes game ke liye zeher hain. Humara maanna hai ki pitches ko thoda support dena theek hai, lekin batters ko apni technique par kaam karna hoga varna bowlers unhe har condition mein nachaate rahenge.
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