Drive to add life to home pitches

WIDESPREAD outcry over dormant Test pitches appears to have hit its mark, with Cricket Australia pushing for livelier surfaces this summer.

Dead wickets have become a constant grind for bowlers and spectators alike over recent years and a backbreaking low point was reached in last year’s unwatchable Boxing Day Test.

Juicy decks in South Africa, New Zealand and England have often embarrassed Australia’s flat, featureless surfaces — often drop-ins — which have raised the ire of bowlers around the world.

The conditions have contributed to Mitchell Starc breaking down with foot and heel injuries in the past and would present an open invitation for Indian master Virat Kohli to run riot this summer should the status quo remain.

Australia has long prided itself on not delivering instructions to curators on how they want wickets to play. Though that won’t change, CA has emphasised to groundsmen a desire for them to prepare surfaces which bring back excitement and character.

“We are working with all our venues to ensure pitches deliver a competitive match between ball and bat in all Shield and Test matches,” a CA spokesman said. “That we see different characteristics in our wickets across our country is unique in world cricket and we should celebrate this.”

The Gabba has been the one Australian surface that has retained its life, but this year Brisbane has been stripped of its first Test status and relegated to a late January Test against Sri Lanka.

That means the series will open with a return to daytime Test cricket at Adelaide Oval, with the zip of the pink ball under lights not a factor.

The second Test will be the first ever played on a drop-in at Perth at the new Optus Stadium. However, early reports out of the west indicate the pitches are growing with plenty of grass and good bounce expected.

The MCG will be desperate to reinvigorate its drop-in on Boxing Day or risk a ban after last year copping an official strike from the International Cricket Council.