Being in Devon for a spell with Sky Sports enables me to write this post watching the 2nd India-England Test match but also keep up-to-date on the South Africa-Australia game. This is handy, because there's something of a pattern shared by the two.
South Africa chased to win in Perth, reaching the 414 target for the loss of only four wickets. This is the second-highest run chase in Test history, knocking India's demolition of England just the other day down to the fifth-highest ever. That's two of history's five highest run chases recorded in under a week. Good news, right? Right?
Well. The South Africa-Australia battle was a fantastic match, no doubt, but I'm not as happy as others are about success stories for teams batting second. It's good that seeing a target of 350+ does not automatically equate to a draw or a loss for the batting side, and it's more exciting for the spectators, obviously, and I suppose that's the point, but I can't help but feel a bit sorry for the bowlers. You're almost on a hiding to nothing.
OK, so Australia's attack was a lot weaker than it's been in the past: even with the Brettster and rising star Mitch Johnson, a four-pronged attack of Lee, Johnson, Peter Siddle and Jason Krejza is no McGrath-McDermott-Hughes-Warne. But nevertheless, South Africa should not have been allowed to chase a 400+ total against the best side in the world.
Big runs are happening not just in Australia, either. India chased a massive total the other day, and England are currently scoring at more than four runs an over (I still don't expect a result, though - not with the Beijing-esque bad light in Mohali).
The problem is the rolled pitches. Call me an old man, but with unprotected pitches there was always more in it for the bowler, and by the fifth day it was like batting on a cattle grid.
Now THAT is interesting cricket.