AUS vs IND 1st Test Border Gavaskar trophy 2024 - Optus Stadium, Perth Pitch Report
Author: Vishnu Reddy
Updated At:
India and Australia brace themselves for a high-octane showdown starting with the first Test which is scheduled to commence on November 22. The Optus stadium will play host to the first of the five-match Test series. But the introduction of unusual rain in Perth prior to the build-up to the first Test has somewhat dampened the spirits.
In recent days, the city has received substantial rainfall of up to 5mm. Although the forecast is expected to be clear on all five days of the Test, weather experts suggest that the opening day of the Perth Test may likely get impacted due to rain. Wet weather in Perth this deep into spring is unusual which further complicates the pitch preparation work.
The Pitch in Focus Amidst Gloomy Damp Weather
WA Cricket head curator Isaac McDonald has been determined to produce a fast-paced pitch that emulated last year’s Pak-Aus clash. But his ambitious plans have taken an unexpected dent as nearly the whole day of pitch prep work was lost due to rain yesterday. The pitch and the rest of the square were completely under covers due to persistent rain throughout the day.
"Yesterday, we pretty much lost the whole day of prep with it [pitch] being under cover. We saw the forecast early on, and we started to prepare a little bit earlier than we normally would."
The advent of sudden rain during this time of the year has compelled McDonald to improvise and think differently out of the box. He intends to roll the pitch much further and hopes that the sun comes out which would allow the surface to gain more firmness. He further added that he would expect 8-10mm of grass to be left on the top of the pitch and believes that it will not deteriorate rapidly unlike last year’s Test.
"It's been quite conditions-based. At the moment, we're leaning towards rolling it a bit more on top to get that firmness and that happy medium between bat and ball. [It] would be nice if the sun pops out, but we're really comfortable as a curating team. There'll be some deterioration. Grass will stand up during the game and offer that variable bounce. But in terms of big-snake WACA cracks, unfortunately, I don't think the weather's going to get us there"
Perth has traditionally been a happy hunting ground for pacers for several decades now. The pitch at Optus Stadium is arguably one of the fastest pitches in world cricket. The venue is heavily dominated by the pace and batters of all kinds usually have their hearts in the mouth while operating in such conditions.
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