It was a stinking hot day and we managed to get through a box each of Canterbury draught (shudder) watching Nathan Astle and Danny Morrison deny the English at (I think) Lancaster Park/Jade Stadium.....fantastic afternoon!

You don't often hear the words 'Canterbury Draught' and 'fantastic afternoon' in the same sentence.

Who decides whether to doctor the pitch?

Well my suggestion was that the rules decide it. If the two innings finish within a day and a half they go one way, if they take over 3 days they go the other.

What if it doesn't work? (pitch preparation is an…

Morris dancers way too light to do the damage I’ve got in mind.

Play a one-dayer, then... Three Day Eventing ... then another one-dayer

Morris dancers way too light to do the damage I’ve got in mind.

Rodeo?

Ice hockey!

Morris dancers way too light to do the damage I’ve got in mind.

Roller derby?

If it's possible for a chasing team to get the big score in the 4th innings, surely that's good for the game.

Well, not really, in my opinion. Mammoth chases should be exceptional.

In the three innings that precede the fourth, the team batting last tries to minimise their chase…

Saturday is indeed PAS day.

Damn, I won't be in town until after 5.

I'm in the process of organising post-cricket drinks (most likely with Epic at the Malthouse). If you can make that it'd be good.

But that makes it all better!

Morris dancers way too light to do…

Rodeo?

Without the violence of course.

But bull-fighting, like boxing, is only interesting to people because someone/thing is going to get hurt.

Might I suggest as an alternative for those squeamish about such matters, that we organise a troup of morris dancers to dance up and down the pitch during each…

I’d introduce an hour’s worth of bull-fighting.

Without the violence of course.

You just need to let it take its natural course and let it crumble a bit. Just like test pitches have done for 120 years.

But you don’t want it so compacted and glued up that it dies on the 4th morning, because that’s…

I don't see why that's a problem. If one team is 100 runs behind and they know that the groundskeeper is going to doctor the pitch so those 100 runs are harder to get, that's just tough luck, shouldn't end up 100 runs behind.

Who decides whether to doctor the…

surely the best way to get into the Indians is to pander to their egos, they're used to being treated as…

The problem is that it would require the teams to have achieved some degree of parity after the first innings, otherwise the actions are going to disadvantage one of the parties.

I don't see why that's a problem. If one team is 100 runs behind and they know that the…

Teams have been doctoring pictures for years

I quite agree.

My Tarheels are going to wipe the floor with Villanova.

And Hadyn, when will you understand that the fouls and timeouts are past of the strategy, and enhance the intensity?

Yes to the Tarheels and a qualified yes to the…

Would there be a problem with allowing the ground staff to do something more than roll the pitch after both teams had one innings? Water it, cook it a little more, sprinkle some magic chemical on top.

The problem is that it would require the teams to have achieved some…

Well, that's cricket. You can present the other team with the only options of losing or playing out the time for a draw.

Oh yes. I was just confused that we wanted things to be more that way, rather than less.

If it's possible for a chasing team to get…

And because on pitches that do-a-bit our batting line up generally doesn't.

You could have said the same thing about the Indian team not so long ago. They've traditionally had a rough time outside of India.

So maybe preparing a more lively pitch would have evened things out.

Of course…

It's easy to say in hindsight that it was impossible to get them out: we took our first ten wickets in one day and then had five sessions or so to complete the job.

I agree. I don't think that the fact that we didn't get them out is proof…

Because Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan are decent seam bowlers. And because on pitches that do-a-bit our batting line up generally doesn't.

Yes, I think against this Indian team that pitch was actually our best chance. It's easy to say in hindsight that it was impossible to get them out:…

Of course what this means is that there will be roughly four minutes of amazing, tense, close college basketball on Sunday stretched out (via time-outs and fouls) over half an hour. [On ESPN, Sunday from 10am]

Only in one game. My Tarheels are going to wipe the floor with Villanova.…

Not during a match though.

Well not legally anyway...

Strictly no target should be unattainable, but some targets should be inconceivably unlikely, so that the team captains can base their strategies around them.

So, if you had been NZ and had decided not to enforce the follow-on, what target would people have set India to win that game (based…

Teams have been doctoring pictures for years. It's called "home-town advantage". If your team contained tearaway fast bowlers you'd instruct the groundsman to prepare a fast green pitch.

Not during a match though.

Any doctoring of pitches is limited to choosing between the heavy and light rollers.

I'm not suggesting we be quite as blatant as that, but I do wonder why we haven't produced wickets with a bit more seam movement.

Because Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan are decent seam bowlers. And because on pitches that do-a-bit our batting line up generally doesn't.

Surely there shouldn't be any such thing as an unattainable victory target. You want to give the chasing team hope that if they play brilliantly, they will win, against all odds. That's what makes great sporting events.

Strictly no target should be unattainable, but some targets should be inconceivably unlikely,…

It's madness.

(I wonder idly if, in the interests of the game, if the pitch could be doctored after both teams have completed an innings to either stretch the game out, or shorten it. Not sure how much you could do that though).

Teams have been doctoring pictures for years. It's called…

What's the point in playing the game if a team can by no means possibly win?

Well, that's cricket. You can present the other team with the only options of losing or playing out the time for a draw.

Re the Garth George article:

Don’t worry people. He sates in there that he is a “latecomer to cricket”

So he’s obviously a peasant too.

Which probably explains the complete lack of nuance in the article. Haydn is a latecomer to cricket too, but his articles about cricket are great.…

The biggest problem I have with non-wearing pitches is that previously unattainable victory targets can now be chased down, which makes it impossible to set a target.

What's the point in playing the game if a team can by no means possibly win?

Surely there shouldn't be any such thing…

Even so, the fact that a team has to chase down a daunting total can…

That pitch at the WACA was deteriorating, as it should, making the last day heroics so memorable.

Yeah. I don't mind a draw where you don't know until near the end that it's going to be a draw. A great rearguard effort that gets the team to the end of…

One of the beauties of test cricket was the evolving unpredictability of a wearing pitch. But it looks like they’re banning that.

This bias has to stop

While I do agree with you regarding the near-universal bias towards durable pitches, speaking just about the Napier test, there is good drama…

Massive difference between that and last week’s match.

That pitch at the WACA was deteriorating, as it should, making the last day heroics so memorable.

There was no challenge in last week’s effort.

My work here is done

In which case, God ain't got nothing on you in the "mysterious ways" stakes.

You know who enjoyed the game? Garth George. How can you defend that test cricket fans?

I had a profound crisis of faith this morning after seeing that article. Until now I have always lived by Garth's Law – which posits that if Garth George says something is desirable or…

I admit, it is not for folk that are after more immediate thrills. But I still love it and you will find me (and a lot of those with the same afflication) on the hill at the Basin from tomorrow pm for the next few days.

Speaking of which, is…

As a youngster when my father and I would be watching…

Don’t worry people. He sates in there that he is a “latecomer to cricket”

So he’s obviously a peasant too.

After five days (two of which featured the good version of the Black Caps) the Napier test limped to a draw, which is a strange thing considering that one team scored more than the other team.

3 days. The way they worked their butts off to get India out in…

But:

You know who enjoyed the game? Garth George. How can you defend that test cricket fans?

is almost enough to put you off the sport entirely.

One of the beauties of test cricket was the evolving unpredictability of a wearing pitch. But it looks like…

Oh, and I just thought that Stalemate does contain the word stale. It also contains the word mate

And lamest. Just thought I'd mention it.

The original title of the post was Stalemate still contains the word "stale", mate

Thank god for backspace.

But can I point out that segueway…

And I enjoyed this test, although I only got/had to experience it through the ever-ticking over-by-over on Cricinfo. The Indians batted brilliantly to save it, as far as I could tell. I wish we could do that from time to time.

There have been some bloody fabulous test draws. That wasn't one of them.

And yet, if we were Indian supporters we'd be hailing it as a great draw, rather like we did here

Already there are comments being thought out that tell me it's not about the final score but the overall game and that a draw is as valid an outcome as a win-loss scenario. But let me put this out there: No it fucking isn't.

An anticlimax is what it is.

…

Oh, and I just thought that Stalemate does contain the word stale. It also contains the word mate

And lamest. Just thought I'd mention it.

And yeah. There have been some bloody fabulous test draws. That wasn't one of them.

This particular draw wasn't very exciting, but some of the greatest and most tense test match moments come when a tailender has to bat…

You know who enjoyed the game? Garth George. How can you defend that test cricket fans?

I enjoyed the game.

I don't like Garth George.

The fact that we agreed on this makes the world a slightly less animostic place, if only breifly. And surely that is beauty enough in…