'This is Australia... live grass on the pitch is speed': Perth's pitch curator sends warning to Team India 10 days ahead of series opener

Perth pitch curator hopes to emulate the same surface as he did in the previous year's clash between Australia and Pakistan where the latter were bowled out for 89.

Sports Tak

• Tue • 12 Nov 2024

Pat Cummins

Highlights:

As expected, there will be plenty pace and bounce on the Perth surface.

Australia beat Pakistan comprehensively in Perth Test last year.

The much-awaited Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 will begin on November 22 at Optus Stadium, Perth. 10 days ahead of the series opener, Western Australia Cricket head curator Isaac McDonald has said that good amount of pace and bounce can be expected from the surface. McDonald hopes that the surface will be similar to what he prepared for Australia's clash against Pakistan last year.

"This is Australia, this is Perth... I'm setting ourselves up for really good pace, really good bounce and really good carry," WA Cricket head curator Isaac McDonald told ESPNcricinfo. "In a perfect world, I want to emulate last year."

The series opener between Australia and Pakistan was played in Perth as well. In the final innings, Pakistan were bundled out for 89 in the run chase of 450. Only opener Imam-ul-Haq scored a half-century for the visitors in the one-sided contest.

While Pakistan couldn't dominate, the encounter witnessed Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja getting hit on the body by the visiting pacers. Labuschagne even labelled it as one of the toughest pitches he had batted on.

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Batters can score rapidly in Perth

While there will be plenty for the pacers, McDonald said that batters will be able to score rapidly if they take on the bowlers. Last year, David Warner scored 164 runs in the first innings to help the hosts hold an advantage.

"It's [10 mm] a good starting point," McDonald said. "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.

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"Both bowling units were pretty rapid last year and hoping for much the same this year. But, as we saw last year, good batters were able to take the game on and put away balls and score runs quickly."

Kohli's monumental feat, plenty for spinners on bouncy Perth

Virat Kohli is the only visiting Asian batter to score a Test century in Perth. He scored 123 runs in a losing cause in 2018. While pacers enjoy using the pace and bounce from the surface, it was off-spinner Nathan Lyon who controlled the game and bagged five wickets.