Les Burdett, the Adelaide Oval curator [groundsman], always watches the first few overs of a match sitting on a roller near the gate in front of the side-on pavilion. A few overs there and he can assess the bounce and pace of his latest production. Rodney Hogg, for one, always knew where to find Burdett if his first bouncer died on the way to the wicketkeeper. "Nice track, Les," Hogg would shout in his follow-through, sarcasm dripping off the words like sweat off the brow. Burdett probably knew this pitch was going to be a bit of a dud. The early season had interrupted his preparations. But ordinary pitches, those that lack pace and even bounce, often produce excellent games as players' expectations are overturned and their versatility and ability to think on their feet tested.

This less-than-perfect Adelaide pitch has asked interesting questions of batsmen and bowlers. Front-foot play has been more important than usual. Matthew Hayden's sweeping today of spinner Claude Henderson out of the rough outside off stump is the most extreme example - and the most effective.

Pulling has been dangerous, as Ricky Ponting learned to his cost this morning. A few more batsmen might find the same problem tomorrow. Bowlers who have drifted off line, with little swing in the air, have been hit square to the short boundaries. Makhaya Ntini suffered for this in the first innings, but this morning he bowled straight and was his side's most effective bowler, economical but also threatening.

It is always interesting when a pitch deteriorates. At least in Australia the surface is hard, which means it is not a slow pitch by international standards. But it's not fast either, and would be considered slow by Australian standards. There is, however, enough pace for some shots to be played. Only the best bowlers get sideways movement.

Less trust in the pitch means batsmen must concentrate more intensely and make their decisions a fracture of a second later than they would prefer. All of this means the best players tend to perform better, which, of course, is what Test cricket should be about.

Mark Ray has covered Australian cricket since 1987 and is also the author of a number of books on the game.

Day 3 Verdict
The perfect partnership

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