Flatter decks for higher scoring: Is early Shield pattern a sign of pitch curating directive?

Early in the 2024/25 season, there appears to be no obvious replacement for the injured Cameron Green in this summer’s upcoming Test series against India.

With the all-rounder out for the entire summer, names like Marcus Harris, Cameron Bancroft, Sam Konstas, Aaron Hardie and Beau Webster have been touted as potential options to take Green’s place.

It’s an unusual place for Australian cricket to find themselves in with no clear seventh-best batsman knocking on the door of selection and veteran journalist Robert Craddock thinks that’s due to a simple numbers game with batters not averaging as much as they once did at the domestic level.

He thinks that this is due to Shield pitches in recent years often favouring the bowler, with batsmen finding it hard to build obvious cases for Test selection.

“One reason why there’s not an obvious Cam Green replacement is that batters are not throwing up the numbers that they used to,” Craddock told SEN Whateley.

“There was an era where Mike Hussey was averaging 50 and couldn't get a Test, Darren Lehmann was averaging 50 waiting on the outer for years, Matthew Hayden was averaging 60 at one point and couldn't get a go.

“The wickets were great for batting and they (batsmen) just dominated. But over the last three or four years, the wickets have been very spicy, and the batting numbers have been down.”

While pitches in recent years have often been ‘spicy’, Craddock thinks that could change this summer after several flat decks were produced for the opening round of competition with three draws taking place.

Across those three draws, 10 centuries were made with Sam Konstas (152 & 105 v SA), Nathan McSweeney (127 v NSW), Alex Carey (111 v NSW), Marcus Harris (143 v Tas), Peter Handscomb (129 v Tas), Beau Webster (113 v Vic), Bradley Hope (111 v Vic), Sam Whiteman (102 v QLD) and Josh Inglis (122 v QLD) reaching triple figures.

Craddock thinks that could have been the result of a directive from Cricket Australia for states to produce more batting-friendly decks.

“Have you seen the results of the Sheffield Shield to start this year? Look at all of the centuries in the last week since the competition started,” Craddock said.

“It sounds to me as if there's been a directive from Cricket Australia for flatter decks.

“There's been a lot of centuries and it's been a common theme with several draws, a lot of tons and a lot of bowlers producing big numbers.

“I sense that there's a feeling around the country to make life easy for batsmen in the Sheffield Shield.”