Friendly Reminder - Bowlers Win You Test Matches Not Batters

Pakistan vs Australia 1st test match Rawalpindi had a dead pitch that offered nothing to the bowlers.

Cricket Image for Friendly Reminder - Bowlers Win You Test Matches Not Batters (Image Source: AFP)

The first test between Pakistan and Australia at Rawalpindi was a standstill. Nothing happened for the five days of the test match. It was a dead pitch that offered nothing for the bowlers. 

What to make up for this test match? This test once again proved that batters can make all the runs they want, but if the bowlers can't pick wickets, then a test match cannot be won. 

Since the last five years or so, there have been 201 test matches played in which only 27 have resulted in a drawn match; in the previous 265 matches, 57 ended in a draw - 21.5%. So why has it happened? 

Interestingly, the matches end early with either one of the teams winning is because it has now become common knowledge among the professionals that bowlers are the reasons why they are winning. 

It is not a coincidence that the era of the less drawn games has coincided with bowling averages coming down - 29.8 in the last five years than 33.43 in the previous 245 test matches. The pitches have become spicy, the test teams are constructed with much better bowling depth, and the quality of bowlers has increased. 

Historically as well, from the 1940s to 1990s, 40% of the matches ended in a draw when either the pitches were dull and the teams didn't have enough quality bowling depth. Even in the 2000s, the draw rate was 24.6%. 

Pakistan vs Australia's 1st test took us back to the old days of test cricket where batters hammered runs and the bowlers had nothing for them throughout the five days. The difference is, at that time people used to brag about how batters used to play long innings, and now the same thing is making things dull for the viewers. 

The First #PAKvAUS Test Ends In A Draw pic.twitter.com/1HHtSpGTpM

— CRICKETNMORE (@cricketnmore) March 8, 2022