Flat wicket for the MCG Test says the Curator
Cameron Hodgkins, the curator for the MCG pitch is expected to lay a flat surface as he hasn’t been told to put a green top for the Boxing Day encounter. There were speculations in the Australian media that the curator was going
to replicate the WACA pitch.
To this the curator himself replied,”No, not at all, a few people would like to believe that was the situation, but the last time I spoke to someone from Cricket http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 was in the middle of winter.”
A lively surface aided Australia’s quick bowlers as one witnessed in Perth. The Aussie bowling line-up tends to bowl well when there is a decent amount of seam movement off the pitch. The home team has travelled far in order to
match their inform arch rivals, whom they trounced in the third Test by a margin of 267 runs.
Earlier in the series, going into the Perth Test, the home team was trailing by 1-0, prompting Cricket Australia to push for a green top in the third game. On a lively wicket at the WACA, the hosts launched a four-front pace attack
in order to blow England away. Resultantly, the Australian bowlers performed well, on what was considered a difficult batting wicket. And just as the Doctor ordered, the Australians scythed through the English line-up in order to earn their team a series levelling
win.
The curator added, “It's entirely a personal thing and it was something I did two weeks ago, so it wasn't on the spur of anything that happened in the last week or so."
In the first two games, the English batsmen batted with utmost ease as they played on pretty flat decks. As a result, in two innings at the Adelaide Oval and Brisbane, the English batsmen gathered 1137 runs for the loss of 6 wickets.
On the contrary, the same English line-up failed to make an impression with the bat as they scored 187 and 123 in both their innings. Keeping in mind England’s poor performance in the last Test, the hosts might persist with their
pace quartet that wreaked havoc for the opposition batsmen.
In anticipation to rattle the opposition, Cricket Australia might have told the curator to place a green surface. However, Cameron has already mentioned that he hasn’t been advised to do so.
He also added that the MCG has a history of flat wickets. The Melbourne pitch has never been fast and bouncy. Adding to it, it doesn’t offer the seam bowlers a significant amount of seam movement. By listening to the curators thought
for the surface in the penultimate Test, it appears that conditions might suit England.
Tags: