Alright, let me tell you about how I checked out the Sheikh Zayed cricket pitch for scoring runs. This all started last Tuesday when I grabbed my kit bag and drove down to the stadium early in the morning.
Setting Things Up
First, I met the groundskeeper near the boundary rope. Shook hands and asked straight up about the pitch prep. He showed me the roller they used on the strip and said they’d watered it light three days before. I walked right onto the square in my spikes and poked the surface hard with my shoe toe. Felt pretty firm underfoot, no spongy bits.
Next up, I called over two club players for a 30-minute batting drill:
- Had them play defensive blocks – checked if the ball stayed low or jumped unpredictably off a length.
- Tested drive shots – especially through the covers, to see if the ball came onto the bat nicely or held up.
- Forced some ugly slogs too – just to see how the pitch behaved with wild swings.
What Actually Happened
Okay, here’s what went down in plain words:
- The good stuff first: Front foot drives flew off the middle like rockets. When that sun hit the pitch around 11am, the ball skidded faster. Player 2 smashed 4 boundaries in one over just timing it, no muscle.
- Not so good: Short balls? Forget it. Anything short sat up begging to get smacked but offered zero pace bounce. Also, after 20 mins batting on one spot, a patch near crease got dusty real quick. Spinner would love that later.
- Keeper’s groan moment: Late afternoon, we saw two balls shoot along the ground from nowhere after holding up. Keeper almost took one to the chin! Pitch cracked a tiny bit under heat.
Straight Talk Conclusion
So would I say it’s heaven for batting? Nah. If you’re patient and hit V straight early on, runs come easy as Sunday morning. But when shoulders drop and batsmen get lazy? This pitch eats you alive after lunch – dents your average big time. Saw Player 1 throw his bat walking back after getting glued in the crease. Moral? Run hard the first session or pack extra frustration tolerance.
Ended up scribbling all this in my notebook with grass stains on my knees. Maybe I’m just getting old, but man my back’s still sore from bending over inspecting those cracks.
