England's Anderson encourages pitch doctoring

Paceman Jimmy Anderson has admitted England doctored pitches during their Ashes upset, and has called for more of the questionable practice in the future.

The Ashes pitches became a talking point as the series wore on and all five Tests were wrapped up inside four days – with fixtures at Edgbaston and Trent Bridge threatening to be two-day affairs.

Michael Clarke used his final press conference as an Australian captain to detail his problems with the wickets which had been prepared.

Throughout the 3-2 series victory, England captain Alastair Cook and coach Trevor Bayliss steadfastly denied any influence over the preparation of wickets.

However, Anderson not only admitted the leadership duo “offered an opinion” but added that it hadn’t been done enough previously.

"I think there's certainly an element where we should've done it more in the past (and) we should do it do it more in the future," he said in a live panel discussion streamed on the Breathe Sport website.

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Anderson also accused Australia and India of leading the way in that regard.

"When we go to Australia, they prepare the pitches to suit their team. When we go to India, the same thing happens," he said.

“A big deal was made of it in our conditions here (that) we were telling the groundsmen to do this and that.

“I’m sure they offered an opinion but it wasn’t a case that we were saying ‘you have to do this’ or ‘you have to prepare that’.

"Even if we did (doctor pitches), everyone else in the whole world prepares pitches to give them home advantage and I don't see why it should be any different here.

"We should prepare pitches that suit us.

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"All the games, at some stage, guys got runs – even the game where (Stuart Broad) bowled them out for 60 (at Trent Bridge), we then batted on it and got a decent total.

"It wasn't as if it was unplayable."

Former Test captain Ricky Ponting recently suggested doing away with the coin toss and allowing the away team to decide who bats first as a means of avoiding the doctoring of wickets to suit home teams.

Pointing’s radical idea was supported by his predecessor, Steve Waugh.

"I don't mind that, I think that's not such a bad thing," Waugh told Melbourne radio station SEN.

"At the end of the day I think there's probably too much emphasis placed on the toss and the conditions away from home.

"I don't mind the authorities looking at some other options."