Will Seddon Park provide another bowler-friendly track? Exploring pitch condition in Hamilton before NZ vs IND 3rd ODI
· Yahoo Sports
Will Seddon Park provide another bowler-friendly track? Exploring pitch condition in Hamilton before NZ vs IND 3rd ODI originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Visit newssport.cv for more information.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Groundsman Karl Johnson says wet weather has made pitch preparation at Seddon Park difficult.
- Fast bowlers ruled both ODIs, and New Zealand never lasted beyond 41 overs.
- A more balanced surface is expected, though more rain could keep seamers interested.
MORE: Chances of rain in Hamilton on Tuesday: Latest weather forecast for NZ vs IND 3rd ODI at Seddon Park
Seddon Park pitch report for IND vs NZ 3rd ODI: Batting track or bowlers' paradise in Hamilton?
Another bowler-friendly track at Seddon Park is a real possibility, but the final answer may depend as much on the clouds over Hamilton as on the strip itself.
The third ODI between New Zealand and India is scheduled for Tuesday, 10 November, with the first ball due at 3:00 PM local time (NZDT), which is 7:30 AM in India.
India lead the five-match series 2-0, and both wins came on pitches that suited the fast bowlers. The first two ODIs were played at the same venues as the T20Is, and on the same strips, and they produced a very different type of cricket. New Zealand were sent in twice and were unable to bat out 41 overs on either occasion, as the ball moved off the seam and the bounce was steep and at times uneven.
At Seddon Park, head groundsman Karl Johnson is working through a difficult build-up. A tractor-mounted machine called a verti-drain has been rumbling over the outfield, punching holes into the grass with its tines so that the ground gets more air and drains faster if the rain returns, as more rain is expected on Monday and Tuesday.
The early expectation is for a more balanced surface than the ones seen in Auckland and Wellington, although the weather could still keep the seamers interested.
MORE: List of teams who have lost an ODI series after taking 2-0 lead
Seddon Park groundsman Karl Johnson on pitch preparation for IND vs NZ 3rd ODI
According to Johnson, an unusually wet start to November across New Zealand is probably the biggest reason why the pitches have behaved the way they have this series.
The T20Is before the ODIs were high-scoring affairs, with New Zealand making a record 259 at Eden Park and India chasing 199 in only 13.2 overs at Hnry Stadium in Wellington. The ODIs, in contrast, were low-scoring and dominated by the bowlers.
He said the aim is to prepare a surface that stays consistent for 100 overs with minimal seam movement, but the unsettled conditions have made that harder.
“New Zealand’s been pretty wet over the last few days, and we’ve had quite a lot of rain here yesterday, so we’ve lost out some time but we’ve been able to get the pitch ready,” he said in an interview wth Cricinfo.
The groundsman then talked about the forecast and the steps taken to speed up preparation, since a pitch kept under covers for long periods tends to sweat.
“Good day today, beautiful day today, Sunday, matchday minus two,” Johnson said. “Forecast isn’t great for tomorrow and matchday is not flash either, so we’re trying to fast-track our pitch, because when they sit under our covers, they do sweat a bit.”
He also expects the covers to be on for large parts of the next two days, which will limit what his staff can do. “Tomorrow probably looks like half a day,” Johnson said. “We might be okay in the morning, we might lose out in the afternoon. And then matchday looks a bit challenging as well.”
Johnson added that the weather is changing quickly because of the storms moving through, which makes it hard to plan around specific hours. “It’s difficult to pinpoint it down to time and stuff,” he said. “So we’re just trying to do a whole lot today.”
MORE: Rahul hailed as India clinch a narrow win in Wellington
Seddon Park pitch report: Pace, seam, spin and batting conditions in Hamilton
Seddon Park has compact square boundaries of roughly 60 to 65 metres, and the longer straight hits have tempted stroke-makers for years. The average first-innings score in ODIs at the ground is between 240 and 245, and the venue is known for high scores when the surface is dry. Overcast skies, however, bring early seam movement into play.
The pitch is different from the steep, spongy bounce of Eden Park or the damp surface in Wellington. With the new ball and under humid skies, Seddon Park usually gives the bowlers some lateral movement at the start, but once the first 10 to 12 overs have been negotiated, the bounce becomes truer and horizontal-bat shots are easier to play.
Wrist-spinners and defensive finger-spinners can find some grip in the middle overs if the surface stays dry, although the short square boundaries punish small errors in line and length. Chasing sides have enjoyed a slight edge at the venue, particularly when early moisture dries out, and rain interruptions bring DLS calculations into play.
MORE: Rohit Sharma jokes about getting Shubman Gill married to win maiden ODI World Cup trophy
Hamilton weather forecast for IND vs NZ 3rd ODI at Seddon Park: Temperature, wind and humidity
The temperature is expected to stay between 16 and 18 degrees Celsius through the afternoon and evening, although the RealFeel figure is likely to be considerably lower, dropping from about 16 degrees at 1:00 PM to between 12 and 13 degrees late at night.
A north-easterly wind of roughly 22 km/h is forecast during the afternoon, easing to about 15 km/h by 11:00 PM, while gusts could reach as high as 46 km/h in the early part of the match window.
Weather, not the pitch, may decide the third ODI at Seddon Park
On paper, Seddon Park looks like the friendliest ground of the series for batters. The boundaries are short, the bounce usually becomes true after the new ball loses its shine, and the venue’s first-innings average is a healthy 240 to 245. A surface of that type would be a welcome change for a New Zealand batting line-up that has been bundled out cheaply twice.
The trouble is that very little about this week has been normal. Johnson’s covers are likely to be on for long stretches, and a pitch that sits under plastic tends to sweat, which usually helps the bowlers in the first hour. With heavy rain forecast around the toss, the team that bowls first could therefore find early assistance even on a surface that was meant to be flat.
That also makes the toss more interesting than the history suggests. A chasing side gets the benefit of any DLS calculation, and any restart would give the target-setting team less certainty about what a good score is. India, who are 2-0 up, could decide to field again, whereas New Zealand will either need to win the toss or bat well to stay in the series.
Whatever the pitch offers, the first hour is likely to be the most important. If the batters survive it, Hamilton could finally give them a game.
To keep up to date with all the latest cricket news and share your opinion on the biggest topics visit our Facebook, Instagram and X (Twitter) pages.