In defence of home advantage: don't rob cricket of its intrigue

During England’s recent series in India, nothing occupied column inches or filled air time quite like the state of the pitches. Whether it was the non-spinning practice tracks, the slow Ahmedabad surface, or the pace and bounce on show at later venues, the pitches were never far from the news. Even MS Dhoni was compelled to comment. The subtext, rarely explicitly stated but regularly implied, concerned fairness. Was it in the spirit of cricket, really, to prepare such ‘biased’ tracks?

Leaving aside the fact that bias is of course subjective, it should be noted that this is not a question posed only to India. Conditions around the world vary, and pitches are prepared to suit the home team on a regular basis. Can English fans look at the green, seaming tracks of Trent Bridge or Headingley and claim the pitch conditions are inconsequential? Can Australians in Brisbane, or West Indians at Sabina Park? Such ‘home bias’ is not rare in international cricket, and it often comes in for a slating. It is derided as insular, as short-sighted, as regressive. The game is seen as fragmenting, as the skill sets required to succeed in each scenario drift further and further apart.

This fragmentation is accused of obscuring the true ability of each team – if each of the top teams wins at home, who can be said to be best? There is some truth to this accusation: India’s recent loss was their first at home since 2004, South Africa have only lost twice at home since 2005, Australia have lost three times after 1993, and England went undefeated for 11 home series in the middle of the last decade. I would challenge, however, whether this is such a great price to pay. There is some value to a slightly blurry ranking system; where would pub chatter be if we knew, without a doubt, which was the best team or who the greatest player was? Cricket is a sport obsessed with statistics, and it is in these fuzzy, unknowable, and inherently subjective considerations that its heart lies.

In the same vein, the diversity of the game as it is played across the world is a strength, not a weakness. It would be boring indeed if every pitch were similar and identical techniques succeeded everywhere. Not only would such a world stifle innovation (can anyone imagine the doosra or the carom ball being invented in English conditions?) but it would lose a certain vitality. There is something exotic about the regal, wristy play of maestros from the subcontinent; something visceral about the lean, southern-hemisphere quick charging in from fifty paces.

Most of all, the game would lose its greatest challenges. As Dhoni commented, “You want to face challenges in Test cricket. These are the kinds of wickets that push you.” What is a tour to the subcontinent, or to Australia, if the conditions are negated? Half the challenge is gone. Home bias allows the game its greatest stories: its heroic series and its magisterial innings. Without it, cricket would be all the poorer.

The Stories of Test Cricket

Test cricket, at the heart of the game, is about narratives. We who love this form of the game tend to romanticise it, and this leads to incredible stories and epic tales. The plot of a Test twists and turns, much like a good book, and at the end of a good match, the story is resolved in a satisfying manner.

Context is important too. A Test match can be a continuation of a theme or a turning point. Over the last few weeks, there have been multiple Tests which fans will be talking about for years: Classic matches where the advantage swung back and forth, where dreams were realised and shattered, where commentators didn’t have to grasp at superlatives to hype up the games.

The significance of a period of cricket like this, even a brief one, is important. It is times like these that will bring fans back to the purist’s game. Those with an understanding of Test cricket know that the result is not always the most important outcome of a match. It is how the teams got to the result that matters.

Take for example the draw between South Africa and Australia. Nothing to write home about there – on paper it was just a match that ended in a stalemate. But what if you consider that South Africa had to bat an entire day, with only six wickets in hand, to save the match? The name Faf du Plessis was not widely known before this match. In fact, it was his debut Test match. He has now become a legend. South Africa, to an extent, owe their defence of the No. 1 spot to him. Every good story needs a hero, even one with an unlikely name like Faf. 

A triumph against the odds is a template that many great stories are based on. That could easily be applied to England’s recent win in India. Make no mistake, England have been terrible in the subcontinent over the past few years. After being predictably thrashed in the first Test, hopes were not high for the second. It tookredemptive performances from two players who have been ridiculed and mocked throughout their careers - Kevin Pietersen and Monty Panesar - for England to score an upset in Mumbai.

Sometimes characters off the field will appear in stories about Test cricket. Martin Crowe made his return recently, not with the bat, but with the pen. He wrote a fierce call to arms to the New Zealand team, in the wake of arguably their worst run of form in recent years. His intervention, like a ghostly Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars, seemed to provide the impetus for the Kiwis to start believing in themselves.

Like England, New Zealand are rubbish on the subcontinent. But who will ever be able to forget Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson grinding out the first day at the P Sara Oval, followed by Tim Southee and Trent Boult tearing into the aging Sri Lankan batting order? It was a triumph of youth over experience, and about as unlikely as David defeating Goliath. Kiwi fans, so often starved of good news, have compared this win with not only Hobart last year, but other memorable Test wins across history.

Sometimes the story is one we’ve heard before. Bangladesh are adept at turning good positions into defeats, and they managed this in spectacular style against the West Indies. After doing absolutely everything to get the upper-hand in Dhaka, they somehow managed to let it slip away. Another debutant, Sohag Gazi, bowled the match of his life to set up a chance to win. As is so often the case with Bangladesh, the batsmen were the villains of this tale. The target was 245, tough, but considering how hard they had to work to get there, it was heartbreaking not to reach. Let’s hope this story doesn’t keep repeating itself.

Finally, every tale ends with an epilogue. We witnessed the end of one of the great Test players, Ricky Ponting. How fitting that his career, which has had so many challenges, should end against the best team in the world.

Ponting, in cricketing terms, has lived his life to the fullest. From fighting personal demons in his youth, to regaining the Ashes in the later years of his career, he has been the archetypal Aussie battler. He is also the last survivor from the great Australian team which conquered all. His retirement brings to an end the epic saga of one of the greatest team ever.

The nature of Test cricket lends itself perfectly to narratives like this. How else can we understand a game that takes a week to complete? After matches like what we have recently seen, it is clear test cricket doesn’t need to be revived. It already is alive and well. Here’s to many more great tales, yet to be told.