Training given a new spin
QUEENSLAND might be putting down the shutters to Sydney, but one truck has managed to make it across the border smuggling some secret cargo.
Soil from the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground wicket has been transported to Brisbane in a bid to boost the adaptability of Australian cricketers to different conditions and address the dearth in spin options around the country after Nathan Lyon.
The National Cricket Centre in Brisbane has expanded to a second location in Kalinga where Cricket Australia staff have carefully prepared wickets that replicate conditions at the SCG and Adelaide Oval.
The chance to bowl on a little slice of Sydney’s turning deck on a regular basis is a major boost for spinners like Australian prospect Mitchell Swepson, who have increasingly been sidelined by flat drop-in pitches around the country.
Cricket Australia’s drastic cost-cutting measures sparked fears that the country’s high performance centre could turn into a white elephant, but the new replica wickets signal a commitment to still make the NCC a centrepiece for national teams and aspiring stars to fly into to train.
Test opener Joe Burns is relishing the opportunity to be exposed to Sydney and Adelaide batting conditions in Brisbane.
“We’re really lucky in Brisbane to have world class facilities with the NCC and basically be leading world cricket in training facilities and then it just goes a step further now that we’ve got this second training precinct to go to and we’ve got wickets from around the country,” said Burns. “Not only for guys in Brisbane to train but for Australian players and State players around the country.”
Not only has soil been trucked in from Sydney and Adelaide, but intelligence on the specific curating techniques used at those venues has also been passed on to ground staff in Brisbane.
They complement the subcontinental replica wickets the NCC already has. Queensland spinner Swepson has been on the cusp of Test selection for several years, and the arrival of the new wickets are timely as he looks to cement his position as Lyon’s understudy.
Cricket Australia high performance boss Drew Ginn said his predecessor Pat Howard as well as former national selector Greg Chappell had played a key role in making the bold plan a reality.