How do they get it so wrong?

The most significant component of a test match is the twenty two yards of carefully prepared, rolled mud. Everyone wants to know how it will behave as an attritional encounter unfolds over the upcoming five days.

Naturally it is expected to deteriorate over the duration of each test match, and the skilled attempts of the bowlers to exploit the conditions provide a fascinating spectacle. We all know that it is the bowlers who win test matches, and the natural wear and tear offers encouragement that brings out the very best in the most talented.

One of the most eagerly anticipated snippets of information prior to a game is how the weather has affected the preparation of the pitch, and how the groundsman has gone about his task in presenting a playing surface to test the players.

There is a reason why a pitch report is an integral part of a television broadcast each morning before play gets under way. If done correctly, it provides valuable insight as to how the track will behave and clearly explains where the various challenges will be.

The first test between the West Indies and India at Sabina Park in Jamaica has provided an extraordinary situation when referencing the playing surface. All the talk leading up to the commencement of the first test was about the pace and bounce that will be on offer and how the batsmen will be severely tested.

The curator, Charles Josephs, who has been the man in charge of pitch preparation at Sabina Park since 1962, got the ball rolling the day before kick-off. Upon questioning from the travelling media pack from India he retorted, "This is Jamaica. Not Mumbai. The ball will bounce and get your men."

Darren Sammy, the West Indies skipper, beamed after his fast bowling stocks had been boosted and added, “This is the pitch that suits our style."

Confident that Kingston's conditions would favour his team, he chimed in with, "Our batsmen will favour their chances against Indian bowlers knowing the type of wicket we will get."

Even ‘The Iceman’ Dhoni proclaimed, "West Indies have a good bowling attack. They have bowlers who can bowl fast, and if they can bowl at the right areas they can cause problems to the batsmen.”

He provided further copy with, "So it will be a good competition for our batsmen. I think the wicket here will be different from the first three one-dayers where the ball turned a lot."

Anticipation was high from all quarters prior to the first ball on day one, and the various quotes had been suitably reported by the scribes from both regions. That was it then. The track was going to be manna from heaven for those capable of ‘chin music’ and the batsman would be scrambling as searing pace, particularly from the arsenal-laden locals, would provide a searching and unsettling examination for the willow wielders.

It was considered a given that pace and bounce would dictate the outcome of the all-important opening salvo and only the bravest batsmen would triumph over the expected barrage of ferocious bowling from the speed merchants.

How did they get it so wrong?

The pre-game pitch behaviour assessments were not even close. They could not have been further from the truth. It turned out to be an absolute spinners’ paradise from the first day!

The amount of turn and bounce on offer from particularly the Indian tweakers was astonishing. The ball was turning massive distances and occasionally Harbhajan’s bounce was so pronounced that some deliveries went over the batsman’s shoulder from a length. Again I will remind you that this action took place on day one.

So, one man who knows the conditions like the back of his hand and has been labouring over his beloved centre square at Sabina Park for 49 years got it horribly wrong.

Another, who captains the local Caribbean charges and on whom his team rely for direction, was poles apart in his appraisal.

The third influential character, who is normally so measured in any situation, also made a complete hash of reading the most essential component of a test match.

It really does make you wonder.