bigfluffylemon wrote:Everyone's hard to beat at home. England are inconsistency personified at the moment, yet still haven't lost a home test series since 2014. There was a point a couple of years ago where something like 80% of the previous two years' series had gone with the home side, and only West Indies and Bangladesh were losing at home (plus Sri Lanka losing at home to India, which is barely an away series for India). Fortunately things seem to be a bit more competitive now, but an away tour to India, Australia, New Zealand, UAE/Pakistan, or even England is an uphill struggle for even the very best.
True. Think it is largely a product of the modern insistence on trimming tours so short there is no time for the visiting team to get a proper preparation before the Tests. Even the ODI s , if scheduled , tend to follow the main games.
I think Australia were aided in drawing the last Ashes Series by having been there for the World Cup , different format though it was.
Would love to see a return to the old days of several first class warm up games ; but accept that the current crowded three format programme simply doesn't allow it. And of course the home teams and the home boards are happy enough...
Pujara out !
Game on.