The art of batting on seaming pitches

Inter Club cricket has reached the final stage for this season and I spent a short while on the first morning at the SSC as the club took on Moors S.C. The first depressing sight was the lack of a single spectator! It was a Thursday morning alright and possibly every cricket supporter has to earn a living!

It is a sickening thought though, to think that some of the top players in the island are performing to a zero audience. The Sri Lankan Captain Mahela Jayawardane, was out there in the middle. Maybe it was a welcome change for him without the scrutiny of administrators, media and the public! That was the setting for a pretty important game of cricket in this country.
Most players look at the pitch at the SSC with a doubting eye when they come out on the first morning of a match, at times even in a one day game. There is expectancy that the new ball will hit the pitch and deviate alarmingly and make batting a difficult task.

High water table
The hours of dedicated preparation, the regular use of fresh pitches (there are twelve pitches on the square), the high water table on the grounds and other factors does contribute to there being plenty of life early in a game. That means top order batsmen have to adapt to the conditions.

The three Wettimuny brothers Sunil, Mithra and Sidath handled the pitch conditions and the new ball with great skill. They possessed great skill and temperament and scored heaps of runs for the SSC. Other top order batsmen like Anura Tennakoon, Duleep mendis, Roy Dias, Arjuna Ranatunge and more recently Marvan Atapattu, Mahela Jayawardene have thoroughly enjoyed batting at Maitland Place. There have been heaps and heaps of others too who have contributed runs for the club and for opposing and neutral teams as well. Outside India, the little master Sachin Tendulkar has scored the most number of test centuries at the SSC - three of them. In fact, only in Chennai, South India, has he got more – four.

All good cricket pitches offer assistance to the quicker bowlers at the start of a long game. Pitches in Australia and a number of them in South Africa, England and New Zealand do test the skills and technique of top order batsmen.

Pace and bounce
Pitches that have some pace and bounce assist in batting too. Since the ball comes into the bat stroke play is very much on the cards. However, what is so important is to select the correct delivery. Particularly in the opening session of the day one much respected must be given to the bowlers, provided they are pitching the ball in the right areas. Letting as many deliveries go by and rotating the strike with singles is the way to establish a firm foundation.

On that day Moors S.C. had the option of batting first on a pitch where there was an even layer of finely mowed grass. A semblance of moisture and a firm top surface. Indications were that survival in the opening session was paramount. That was not to be. Before a double figure score was reached three top order batsmen were back in the pavilion. Wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals and within an hour or so after lunch, ten wickets had fallen for a score less than 150 a dismal batting performance indeed. Most of the batsmen were in an almighty hurry. There were a number of snicks behind the stumps which were accepted. Hardly any player seemed to have the desire to tough it out. To value the wicket and be around until midway in the second session when batting would become easier. In fact a twenty odd runs for the last wicket stand saved the visitors from total embarrassment!

The discipline of playing on pitches that has the ball seaming around must be cultivated from school first eleven stages. Unfortunately most of the school turf pitches do not offer such conditions.

They are dry, often sparse of grass and generally offer more to batsmen and spin bowlers from the very start of a game. More schools and clubs must look to provide surfaces both at practice and matches where there is assistance for the quicker bowlers.

Aggressive approach
As a result of there being plenty of one day cricket being played, from players around the world, batsmen are seen as more aggressive in their approach presently. Still there is a time to “get in”, where risks are eliminated. They play according to what the bowler is delivering and adjust as they play.

The real challenge for batsmen is to succeed when conditions are difficult. A big score made on a seaming pitch at the SSC is a huge experience. Often three or four big scores made in such conditions against good bowling attacks can shape a career.
It is the hard, tough side of batting and all batsmen must consciously make a massive effort to master playing and succeeding on seaming pitches.