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[Number4]

Not all of a sudden, it just does. The ball moving, whether swing seam or spin should be a part of the game, the kook ball takes too much of that away, so on a flat pitch the game is loaded far too much towards whoever wins the toss.

No matter what pitch, what ball and what country whoever wins the toss has the advantage. Any team batting second if they are good enough they can win. Don't blame the ball for the game being poorer in Australia... There has been great cricket been played for a very long time... I certainly wouldn't call it poor.

[edge]

No matter what pitch, what ball and what country whoever wins the toss has the advantage. Any team batting second if they are good enough they can win. Don't blame the ball for the game being poorer in Australia... There has been great cricket been played for a very long time... I certainly wouldn't call it poor.

Australia isn't the only country using the Kookaburra bud! Captains should have a choice to make at the toss, batting first is a foregone conclusion far too much.

[roco]

it pains me to say this but I like Punters idea of giving the away captain the toss as I think we would see vastly different pitches prepared and maybe different choice in balls

[skip1973]

How differently do you think they would prepare the Gabba wicket?

[roco]

Not sure as not been watching it to comment

I just doubt pitches like in the sub continent or in England would be as tilted in favour of the home side if this was the case

Home countries would push groundsmen to produce even wickets that would give a bit for bat and ball

[skip1973]

I can't imagine a fairer wicket than the Gabba to be honest. As for home countries I don't have an issue with home countries playing to their strengths, it probably hurts them more than helps in the long run. Look at India for example, they are pitiful anywhere but on rolled dirt and can't produce a quick for love nor money.

[roco]

just makes poor viewing for me as its a big factor I think In India not producing decent quicks and England not producing a decent spinner

[uknsaunders]

it pains me to say this but I like Punters idea of giving the away captain the toss as I think we would see vastly different pitches prepared and maybe different choice in balls

I think you would get boring cricket.

A team goes to Asia/Aus/England even and will want to bat first. Why? Well the home team is going to be fearful of having to bat last, so the word goes out to the groundsman to prepare a road. Can't afford it to be green early on and get stuck in, or make it rag from day 1. This means it will be 700 v 600 and we'll have loads of draws. Alternating the toss won't help either as the home team will prep the wickets like above for the away team and get made to order decks for when they have the toss.

Best option is to get a ball with a proper seam and hardness and make batting more difficult irrespective of the wicket. Get something that reverses, big seam that helps the spinners turn it more and the seams to get prolonged movement and bounce. How much more interesting was the ashes when the England prepared english wickets that did something all the way through.

[roco]

if they prepared roads every game the pitch would be reported and that board fined

A lot of boards are producing roads anyway as they want 5 days of gate receipts

I know it will never change but it is getting very boring for me that sides just cant play away from home anymore as 8/10 series seem to go with the home side

put it down to players, prep, balls, pitches or whatever but I know for a fact what pitches etc will be prepared for Pak next year

[uknsaunders]

if they prepared roads every game the pitch would be reported and that board fined

A lot of boards are producing roads anyway as they want 5 days of gate receipts

I know it will never change but it is getting very boring for me that sides just cant play away from home anymore as 8/10 series seem to go with the home side

put it down to players, prep, balls, pitches or whatever but I know for a fact what pitches etc will be prepared for Pak next year

Can't fine teams for prepping good wickets, as you said they want 5 days of gate receipts.

I would rather have a team have to deal with different conditions than have all wickets uniform. England lost in no small part to not winning a single toss. Had they had first use of the surface for the 2nd test in particular, things might of been different. That's the joy of the toss, sometimes the away team get the rub of the green and have home advantage evened up. However the visitors shouldn't just be given it and losing away from home is sometimes self inflicted. Teams aren't winning away from home because they also no longer play enough warm up games and properly adapt to the conditions. Had England had 4 games in the UAE before the tests they might of stuck James Taylor in from the start and called on a proper spinner like Tredwell instead of Samit.

[roco]

you can and have to fine boards if they produce road after road as who wants to watch 500 plays 500, may as well just set up a bowling machine at either end

I agree about different conditions but I hate win the toss win the game matches but might just be me

[tate035]

I think you would get boring cricket.

A team goes to Asia/Aus/England even and will want to bat first. Why? Well the home team is going to be fearful of having to bat last, so the word goes out to the groundsman to prepare a road. Can't afford it to be green early on and get stuck in, or make it rag from day 1. This means it will be 700 v 600 and we'll have loads of draws. Alternating the toss won't help either as the home team will prep the wickets like above for the away team and get made to order decks for when they have the toss.

Best option is to get a ball with a proper seam and hardness and make batting more difficult irrespective of the wicket. Get something that reverses, big seam that helps the spinners turn it more and the seams to get prolonged movement and bounce. How much more interesting was the ashes when the England prepared english wickets that did something all the way through.

I think the best option is to have all test match series as either 3 or a 5 match series. Then who ever wins the 1st toss then get to choose what to do on the 1st, 3rd and 5th tests. I agree the home team will manufacture a pitch to suit them knowing the opposition have choice of whether to bat or not, but doesn't this happen already??... England produce a seamers wicket relying on our seamers being better than the oppositions. India/Pakistan turning wickets for spinners etc etc.

However if Alistair Cook had had the choice of what to do in the 2nd test he would have batted 1st and if a decent batting performance was made they would have won the test. Same can be said of pitches in India and possibly Sri Lanka... 90% of the time if you win toss and bat 1st you will not lose the test match...
I personally think its not a fair game of cricket if winning the toss has a MASSIVE say on the outcome of the test. There is nothing you can do about overhead conditions so if you are put in to bat, then its down to a batsmans skill to survive until conditions change, however in Asia, I would fancy many county teams to make 300+ in having 1st use of those wickets.

I appreciate that there is no "bulletproof" solution but surely alternating the toss after the 1st toss has been won would be easier than trying to manufacture a new cricket ball that everyone would have to be happy with for it to be introduced in all test series. 

[uknsaunders]

I believe a version of the Dukes ball already exists in aus and has been tested on first class cricket.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/yourbusiness/10552120/No-Ashes-but-cricket-ball-maker-Dukes-up-for-a-match-with-Kookaburra.html

Problem is cricket Australia don't want to go against kooks. Far easier to use a ball that already exists than to get agreement on tosses and it won't solve the issue. One test in India the oppo have the toss and its 700 each, next test India have the toss and its turning sideways on day one.

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[tate035]

I believe a version of the Dukes ball already exists in aus and has been tested on first class cricket. Problem is cricket Australia don't want to go against kooks. Far easier to use a ball that already exists than to get agreement on tosses and it won't solve the issue. One test in India the oppo have the toss and its 700 each, next test India have the toss and its turning sideways on day one.

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So therefore is the problem in cricket, India and Australia not doing as we want..

Seriously though, I think that the toss option would be accepted over the option of having a new ball if countries HAD to choose between either option.. But what do in know... I thought DRS, Snicko etc was a no brainer...

[Aussie In England]

There's absolutely nothing wrong the the Kookaburra ball. McGrath, Lillee, Warne etc all bowled with it and they turned out pretty decent.

Whether they use a Kooka or a Duke, unless every match is played at Hobart, it's pretty unlikely that the ball will swing around corners anyway...