Top 5 pitches with prodigious turn across the world
Playing conditions have a vital role to play in the game of cricket, be it the weather or the kind of pitch on which the match is being played. While overcast conditions and a seaming pitch can prove to be a batsman’s nightmare, the bowlers can have a long day in the office if a flat pitch combines with a bright and sunny day.
Talking about pitches, there is another extreme type which is commonly referred to as a ‘rank turner’. From day one of a Test match, these tracks tend to provide a lot of assistance to the spinners and it only gets better for them as the match progresses.
Most of the rank turners these days are generally prepared on the request of the host team, primarily in the Indian sub-continent. However, there are a few venues where the pitches have always been that way and the tweakers do not need to put in much effort to give the ball a rip.
Let’s take a look at 5 pitches with prodigious turn across the world:
#1 Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo (Sri Lanka)
Sri Lanka is a team which has always relied on its spinners to do the job for them in the bowling department. The obvious reason behind this is the fact that their pitches have always provided support to spin bowling. The pitch at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo, in particular, has been an extremely favourable one for the spinners.
The most recent proof of this was seen during Australia’s tour to Sri Lanka last month when Sri Lankan left-arm spinner Rangana Herath grabbed a 13-wicket match haul to send the Kangaroos packing and help his team complete a 3-0 whitewash. The diminutive bowler has a total of 73 wickets at the SSC in just 12 Tests.
This venue has also been among the most fruitful ones for the highest wicket-taker of all time, Muttiah Muralitharan. The 800-man has exceptional statistics on the ground with a mind-boggling tally of 166 wickets in merely 24 Tests including 14 five-wicket hauls.
However, the SSC track has also been helpful for the seamers to some extent with ace Sri Lankan pacer Chaminda Vaas having taken 80 wickets in 21 matches at the venue.