Mark Ramprakash's criticism of batting conditions in England not totally unfounded, says Alan Richardson Richardson, 37, took ten wickets in the match in last weekend's draw with Surrey at The Oval, including Ramprakash who he had LBW in the second innings on a bowler-friendly pitch. I was fortunate to go to Abu Dhabi with the MCC and Worcestershire were lucky with the weather for their pre-season matches while I was away which meant they managed to get outdoors and play. Both our championship games so far have been at Test Match grounds. At Trent Bridge the pitch was pretty good but the ball swung around. At The Oval last week there was some variable bounce and it was quite a tough pitch to bat on but a good one to bowl on, but you still had to put the ball in the right areas. Richardson, who is particularly effective on pitches that become indented, has prospered since the England and Wales Cricket Board banned the use of the heavy roller after the toss has been made. That regulation was introduced two years ago in an attempt to reduce the number of tedious high-scoring draws. "I like the idea of not having a heavy roller after play has started," Richardson said. I played for years at Lord's where the wickets were flat. It's going to be tough for the batsmen in the first few weeks of the season and Ramps is obviously upset that he hasn't scored as many runs as usual. But things will swing in the favour of the batsmen as the weather improves.