The Cricket Conundrum

So we see it again... the #1 team playing away from home and looking anything but the numero uno team in the world. I am not talking about India but England playing Pakistan in their 'home' conditions. While technically the matches are being played in the UAE, the conditions they play in are far removed from those in England and likely closer to the conditions that Pakistani players have honed their skills on. Everyone is, again, pontificating on what has gone wrong with the #1 team in the world.

The point is that in a game where ground conditions (bounce in the pitch, moisture, humidity) play a huge role, there is a distinct advantage for home teams beyond the home support in the stadium. Instincts are based on muscle memory created through hours of practice in the nets. These instincts are honed on probabilities created in one's mind in the nano-seconds after the ball has been delivered. Will the ball be low or high? How much will it swing? Obviously the hallmark of a great player is the enormity of the database in their heads, and the ability to pick the right shot taking  conditions into account. Chances are that the database for home conditions are far higher than conditions for different conditions. As far as I can remember, New Zealand has made India look very ordinary every time they have played there and the reverse has happened when the Kiwis have played in India.

Well then, it should even out? Not really. Unlike some other sports, where the schedules are mapped to have home and away games in close proximity, cricket series do not follow a specific pattern and 'return visits' are far apart. As a result players returning from an 'away' series face severe public censure and eventually lose their places in the side. Team structures are changed, captains are removed. 

I think a solution for this is to have series that have an equal number of tests (or one-dayers) at home and away as a single package... and then evaluate the performance of the team and players in it's entirety.This will lead to greater engagement in the series. Years ago when it took months to travel between countries, and the practice of  home and away series was set up, this was not possible. Travel has evolved  and now maybe cricket should do as well?!

I would be much more inclined to watch a 4 match Border-Gavaskar series that is played in Adelaide, Perth, Mumbai and Kolkata, and feel justified in evaluating the talents of Virat Kohli, Mitchell Starc et al after this. 

Let the better team win, but let's level the playing field first.