Cricket Australia is confident of preparations for the Boxing Day Test at the MCG, where 10 days ago a Sheffield Shield match had to be called off due to a dangerous pitch.
Kevin Roberts, the CA chief executive, backed curator Matt Page and hoped there wouldn’t be an overreaction to what he felt was an anomaly. “We’re really keen to ensure that the MCC doesn’t overreact to the situation in the last Shield game,” Roberts said on Wednesday (December 18). “The great news was that no players were injured in that situation and we learned a lot from it.
“They’re not overreacting and Matt Page is a master of his craft. We’re looking forward to him expressing that with his team in the Boxing Day pitch. We’re really confident that there won’t be an overreaction and that we’ll see a better balance between bat and ball at the MCG.”
The Sheffield Shield match between Victoria and Western Australia witnessed a slew of deliveries that climbed awkwardly to hit the batsmen, following which play was halted on the first day, leading to the abandonment.
However, it won’t be the same strip used for the Test between Australia and New Zealand, and Roberts put his weight behind how the pitches have been shaping up at the venue in general.
“The condition of pitches at the MCG has been on a significant increase over the last period of time since Matt and the team took the concrete base out from underneath the pitches and replaced it with sand,” Roberts said.
“The feedback from the curators is that it feels different to roll, the feedback from the players is that it feels different and even sounds different to play on.
“It sounds like a proper turf wicket now, rather than something that’s more like a concrete deck, so we’re really optimistic about Boxing Day.”
The Boxing Day Test between Australia and New Zealand begins December 26
