'Batting minefield' Hobart pitch turns 'graveyard for bowlers'

The Australia media has said that the Blundstone Arena pitch in the Tasmanian capital of Hobart, where England is playing their tour match against Australia A, has turned from a batting minefield to a 'graveyard for bowlers'.

According to News.com.au, England cruised to 318-0 on Wednesday, with skipper Alastair Cook (154) and Michael Carberry (153) largely untroubled throughout the day on a deck that after the first hour was quite flat.

The report mentioned that Cricket Australia (CA) introduced an inspection policy to ensure wickets were up to scratch, with states potentially stripped of points for substandard offerings after the first three Sheffield Shield games last season yielded an average first innings score of less than 100.

However, the Hobart pitch's resurfacing ahead of the start of last season meant the wicket took time to settle down, with the report adding that six of the eight highest successful fourth innings domestic run chases at the pitch came prior to 2009-10.

According to Australia A wicketkeeper Tim Paine, his side would like to see a bit more bounce and evenness in the pitch, adding that it was hard for their bowlers to get wickets on the first day of the tour match.

The report further said that a look at statistics from Tasmania's past four years also dispel the myth the venue has been a nightmare for batsmen and heaven for bowlers, with Ed Cowan scoring 1728 runs at an average of 59.5 at Hobart, which is better than his 874 at 31.2 on the road.