SCG curator Adam Lewis “would be nervous” heading into the fifth and final Ashes Test, according to Travis Head, with Cricket Australia calling for a high-quality wicket in Sydney.
Two-day Tests in both Perth and Melbourne have damaged the governing body’s bottom line while frustrating fans keen to enjoy more cricket, especially when it came to the disappointing Boxing Day Test.
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On Sunday MCG head curator Matt Page said he was in a “state of shock” with how the pitch behaved.
The SCG pitch will therefore be closely tracked especially after last year’s Australia-India clash which ended in just over two days.
Fox Cricket’s Mark Waugh declared he had never seen such a green wicket in Sydney and avoiding a repeat will be on the minds of all involved.
“I think people in Sydney will be knowing full well the spotlight will be on them in a day or two, and I’m really hoping the SCG wicket performs well for us,” CA boss Todd Greenberg said.
“It’d be a good way to finish at the SCG with a really great Test match to finish what’s been an amazing series.
“I know there’s been some short Tests, but it’s been an incredible series, and it’ll be remembered for a long period of time for a variety of reasons. But I’m hopeful and confident Sydney will give us a good wicket.”
The SCG surface was also heavily criticised during the AFL season with turf re-laid after an April concert and difficult weather creating to poor conditions which left players slipping over repeatedly.
MCG Curator: Full Press Conference | 14:24
Weather will also be a concern in Sydney, as always, with the early forecast suggesting some rain is possible on day one.
The Sydney Test has lost 26 days to rain since the 1880s, compared to just nine days lost in Melbourne, eight in Brisbane, two in Adelaide and one in Hobart.
Historic BOM data suggests it rains at some stage on around a third of the days Sydney hosts Tests, though this is during the entire 24-hour period and not necessarily during the cricket.
Helpfully there is no serious rain forecast leading up to the start of the Test on January 4, though both Sheffield Shield matches this season at the SCG ended inside three days.
“I think after the last couple of days, he (the curator) would probably be a touch nervous up there,” Aussie opener Travis Head said.
“Everyone’s under pressure. It’s international cricket on a huge platform. Everyone wants to get it right, so there’s no doubt they’ll be doing everything they possibly can to make it a really good wicket to finish a great series.
“We can only go by the Shield games they’ve (hosted). The news was it was pretty good, and then got a couple of cracks. We saw cracks on it last year with grass.”
Heat on Aussie batters ahead of SCG Test | 07:46
Six of the last 11 Tests at the SCG were drawn.
“I don’t think we’ll see 10 millimetres of grass in Sydney,” Fox Cricket’s Brett Lee said.
“I think Sydney will be a beautiful batting surface like what we’ve seen in recent times.
“I’m expecting a full five days of cricket up in Sydney. (Boxing Day) made T20 cricket look slow. I don’t think we’ll see that in Sydney. I think it’s going to be that traditional Test wicket, and we’ll go into at least the fourth or fifth day.”
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