Curator tips lively MCG deck
HEAD curator Matt Page has vowed to continue pushing the boundaries with pitch preparation in a bid to produce a lively MCG deck for the Boxing Day Test.
The much-maligned wicket took a huge hit earlier this month when a Sheffield Shield match was abandoned because of player safety fears on a surface that the MCC later conceded had contained too much moisture.
But former WACA curator Page, headhunted two years ago to fix the flat, lifeless MCG pitch, is confident preparation is on track three days out from the second Test between Australia and New Zealand.
“It’s no different this game from what we’ve been doing (this season),” Page said.
“We know where we went wrong with the third one (Shield match). It’s an easy fix; we just left too much moisture in it. Hindsight’s a wonderful thing, but we’ll bring that moisture back for this Test match and we’ll probably see something very similar to the first two Shield matches we saw this year. The feedback from those was very, very positive, so we’re really happy with where we’re at and confident.”
New Zealand’s pace battery delivered a barrage of bouncers during the first Test in Perth, with Neil Wagner’s short-pitched bowling in particular troubling the Australian batsmen.
Page conceded the MCG would not have as much pace and bounce as Optus Stadium but promised good grass coverage on a pitch that he expected to break up under forecast hot temperatures later in the match.
“That’s what we’ve done all year with our Shield games, we’ve left grass on it, which has provided that seam movement,” Page said. “One thing it has also done is given the spinners an opportunity … so it’s given a bit for everyone in the Shield games this year and that’s what we’re hoping to produce on Boxing Day.”
The MCC is forecasting a record crowd for a non-Ashes Test match on Boxing Day, with up to 80,000 fans expected.