Optus stadium prepared for high-bounce, pace-filled Border-Gavaskar Trophy opener

Curator Isaac McDonald assures pacy and bouncy pitch for November 22-26 India v Australia opening Test at Western Australia venue

India will be accorded a tough welcome to Australia as the Optus Stadium pitch for the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy has been prepared to offer—good bounce and pace—true to the tradition of the fiery tracks in Perth.

Focus on training at WACA

India will enter the Perth Test, beginning from November 22, without playing any practice match as the visitors had cancelled an intra-squad side game that was scheduled to be played behind closed doors from November 15 to 17.

Now, India will focus on centre-wicket training at the nearby WACA stadium, where Australia will also polish their skills.

“This is Australia, this is Perth... I’m setting ourselves up for really good pace, really good bounce and really good carry,” Western Australia Cricket head curator Isaac McDonald told ‘ESPNcricinfo’.

McDonald is trying to prepare a pitch that has similar traits of the one that he readied for the first Test against Pakistan in December last year.

In that match, Pakistan were bundled out for 89 in the second innings as the Aussies celebrated a massive 360-run victory.

The pitch too had developed cracks as that match wore on and batters like Marnus Labuschagne copped blows on their hands.

Also Read: Jaiswal gets Aussie nod as 'new King’, can Gill hold his ground?

Quality pace battery 

Overall, the three Aussie pacers—Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc—grabbed 12 of the 20 Pakistan wickets.

More recently, Pakistan pacers Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf tore through Australian line-up, bowling the hosts out for 140 in the third ODI here.

McDonald said he is looking to leave some grass on the pitch to make it a bit spicier.

“It’s [10 mm] a good starting point. Ten millimetres was pretty comfortable with the conditions that we had [last year] and that held the conditions together nicely for the first few days. Live grass on the pitch is speed.

“Both bowling units [Australia and Pakistan] were pretty rapid last year and hoping for much the same this year [for India match],” he added.

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