Pitches not helping cricket in the public eye

Lynn McConnell

December 26, 2002

Pitches like that on which India and New Zealand played out a frustrating three-wicket win to the home team did nothing for cricket.

That was Indian captain Sourav Ganguly's of the game which saw New Zealand take 37.4 overs to score the 109 runs it required to claim the first victory in the seven-game National Bank Series.

For the Indians it was just a continuation of the frustrating surfaces that have been dished up to them in New Zealand on the tour.

Ganguly did admit, like New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming before him, that the pitch looked as if it would play a lot better than it did.

"This sort of thing doesn't help anybody. People come to watch cricket," he said.

And with only 100 runs to each side, people would be coming to watch the games in the future.

The conditions also gave false confidence to the bowlers in the sides.

The pitch, played on one of Eden Park's portable pitches proved to be two-paced, to have variable bounce and shot-making was not easy.

India did have a chance in the game and Jacob Oram, who was 27 not out at the end, had gone very close to getting out leg before wicket to Anil Kumble but India just couldn't pull off the win.

"Due credit to him [Oram] he hung in well in both innings, in Hamilton and here but a few decisions this way, that way could have changed the game," he said.

Javagal Srinath's presence had been good for the side and he had proven again he was a class act while taking four wickets for 23 runs in his 10 overs.

Ganguly said it wasn't only the confidence of his players that was down, the New Zealanders were also struggling, this despite the fact they had grown up in these conditions.

The winning of the series would be done by the side which best responded to the task of batting better in the remaining game, he said.

© Cricinfo

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