Pitch battles all part of the game for Cook
1 Aug 2013 5:43 AM IST
England captain Alastair Cook said on Wednesday that adapting to different conditions was all part of the game, amid suggestions that pitches for the Ashes series had been prepared to order.
Cook’s men are 2-0 up with three to play heading into the third Test against Australia at Manchester’s Old Trafford starting on Thursday.
At both Trent Bridge and Lord’s, where Ashes-holders England won the second Test by a colossal 347 runs, pitches were bare and dry, aiding reverse swing and spin -- two areas where the hosts are considered to have an advantage over their arch-rivals.
Two days out before this year’s Ashes Test at Old Trafford, brown patches were visible on the pitch. ‘Old Trafford is notorious for having a wicket that is not aesthetically pleasing if I could put it that way,’ Cook told reporters. ‘But I don’t think it’s going to make any difference at all. I think it’s actually a better looking Old Trafford wicket than normally actually.’
Australia, who have now lost six Tests in a row, came into this series on the back of a 4-0 loss in India where pitch conditions were similar to the ones they are experiencing now. Cook, however, said this was more a case of coincidence than conspiracy.
‘I think the hot summer has certainly made it difficult to prepare anything different. It is very hard to get moisture in when it is as warm as that. I think it is always weather-dependent what sort of wickets you have,’ he added. ‘It’s very hard to order a favourable pitch at home. It’s like this.’
Cook’s men are 2-0 up with three to play heading into the third Test against Australia at Manchester’s Old Trafford starting on Thursday.
At both Trent Bridge and Lord’s, where Ashes-holders England won the second Test by a colossal 347 runs, pitches were bare and dry, aiding reverse swing and spin -- two areas where the hosts are considered to have an advantage over their arch-rivals.
Two days out before this year’s Ashes Test at Old Trafford, brown patches were visible on the pitch. ‘Old Trafford is notorious for having a wicket that is not aesthetically pleasing if I could put it that way,’ Cook told reporters. ‘But I don’t think it’s going to make any difference at all. I think it’s actually a better looking Old Trafford wicket than normally actually.’
Australia, who have now lost six Tests in a row, came into this series on the back of a 4-0 loss in India where pitch conditions were similar to the ones they are experiencing now. Cook, however, said this was more a case of coincidence than conspiracy.
‘I think the hot summer has certainly made it difficult to prepare anything different. It is very hard to get moisture in when it is as warm as that. I think it is always weather-dependent what sort of wickets you have,’ he added. ‘It’s very hard to order a favourable pitch at home. It’s like this.’
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