Lessons learnt from Test horror
WACA curator Matt Page says he still has nightmares about his dud pitch from two years ago, but he’s promised a far better deck for the third Ashes Test in Perth.
The Australia-New Zealand Test in 2015 descended into a run-fest on one of the WACA’s flattest decks.
Australia posted 9(dec)-559 in its first innings, with NZ re- plying with 624 in a match that ended in a lifeless draw.
The pitch conditions were so tough for the bowlers that Australian paceman Mitchell Johnson announced his Test retirement after returning figures of 1-157 in NZ’s first innings.
“I still have nightmares about that Test,” Page said yesterday.
“There’s always pressure here to see pace and bounce. We’ve been trying to put the pieces of the jigsaw together.
“We did things slightly different on that wicket. We were really disappointed with the result. It didn’t go through, it was an absolute bat-a-thon. But we learnt a lot from that in terms of preparation.”
Batsmen have thrived this Sheffield Shield season at the WACA Ground, with bat also dominating ball during England’s tour game against a youthful WA XI.
But Page declared the pitch for the third Ashes Test would be different again, with more grass left to ensure the bowlers had plenty to work with.
“We would expect a little bit more pace in it,” he said.