Not so long ago, cricket teams feared touring New Zealand. Batting stars struggled to cope with conditions that suited this country's seam bowling strength. The tourists went away vowing to host the Black Caps on their own pitches, where their own strengths would be favoured.
How things have changed. Adecision by New Zealand Cricket to flatten our pitches has culminated in the hammering handed the Black Caps' bowlers by India in the one-day series that concludes at Eden Park this weekend. Commentators have heaped praise on the "entertainment" value of the runfests, but this will diminish quickly with one-sided contests in which New Zealand more often than not will be the loser.
On anodyne pitches, this country is penalised by the number of players it can call on. Almost all teams New Zealand play have far greater depth. With our limited resources there simply is not, as one commentator has suggested, a young fast bowler out in the sticks just waiting to run through the Indian batting line-up.
Effectively, we have negated the one advantage that compensated for our small pool of players. Flatter batting surfaces should mean our batsmen will perform better. But, again, the numbers are against us. Other countries usually have batting quality in depth. Easier batting conditions will be of little account if we are easy beats in our own country. There will be less incentive for other countries to invite tours by the Black Caps.
Nobody wants to return to the rough pitches that resulted in sides being bowled out for a pittance. But there is a happy medium that would encourage the traditional strengths of the New Zealand game while also allowing top-class batsmen to flourish. We must get back there before our international standing is further devalued.
