Pitch a key contributor to test cricket's drama

So there I was, engrossed in the Test match at Adelaide recently between Australia and the West Indies, when suddenly after three captivating days of cricket, things began to happen - and fast.

The first innings from both teams had provided some scintillating cricket with the highlight undoubtedly being Lara's 182. In general the seam bowling was impressive, the spinners had toiled and the near capacity crowd was thoroughly enjoying the closely fought contest. The match looked like it had a draw written all over it.

One of the early overs of the morning session on day four changed my outlook on the game. One ball from Gillespie basically rolled and two balls later one took off. Neither claimed a wicket but I knew this was danger time for the West Indies. Soon Colin Miller was introduced by Adam Gilchrist and another Windies batsman was sent packing as a delivery behaved a little strangely.

Now, Adelaide Oval over the years has been known as the best batting surface in international cricket and had thoroughly lived up to that reputation over the first three days.

Suddenly the track was behaving in an inconsistent manner and I sat upright in my chair in anticipation of some action, every ball delivered. I thought that the groundsman, Les Burdett, (the best in the world) had got things horribly wrong and would be chastised for under preparing the wicket.

As these thoughts were flooding through my head I heard Ian Healy, commentating for Channel Nine, praising the groundstaff and the fact that we would now be royally entertained because we had a game on our hands.

My first reaction was "c'mon Ian, this is irregular and not quite cricket." But he went on to explain that Test cricket was all about entertainment and skill and that deterioration of a pitch was a catalyst for both of these. I got thinking - he was spot on. The track was certainly not dangerous but it was challenging. The batsmen could still play their strokes but had to be on their toes. The bowlers toiled hard and still had to get their deliveries in the correct areas and were rewarded when they did so consistently.

It provided captivating viewing. The mood of the crowd at the picturesque Adelaide Oval reflected this and I could not help thinking about the millions of viewers in Australia, Africa (thanks to SuperSport) and around the world who were also mirroring my seating position, in anticipation of action.

It got me thinking. Our groundsmen in general have yet to master the art of preparing pitches. Often, I have been in the commentary box watching day after day of Test match cricket generally go through the motions.

Now, don't get me wrong. Because South Africa possesses such a great product in its national cricket team, things are often spectacular. But I can think of many games in the last five years that would have been far more enjoyable if our groundsmen knew and appreciated the skill needed to correctly prepare an ideal Test pitch. South African curators tend to go one way or the other.

Either they leave moisture in the wicket to juice it up so that batting is tough on day one but then it flattens out, or they prepare a sedate track that plays tamely from the first day that threatens to deteriorate, but doesn't.

The Adelaide pitch was a beauty for batting on days one, two and three. Then some sizable cracks appeared, some loose plates developed and batting and bowling became a true artform.

Ian Healy was spot on.

It was all about entertainment and skill.