Drop-in pitches have been installed at the Perth Stadium ahead of the first Test between Australia and Pakistan beginning on December 14.
The stadium is being prepped with five drop-in pitches in its wicket square. Each drop-in pitch being installed weighs approximately 25 tonnes. The meticulous process of the pitch installation spanned over two days.
Cricket Australia has been preparing the pitch at the venue since February with WA (Western Australia) Cricket curators tending to it on a daily basis. The curators are stationed in the nursery next to the outdoor practice wickets on the northern side of the stadium.
The drop-in wicket contains the same local clay and grass species as the pitches at the Waca ground, which previously used to host international matches in Perth. The wicket is closely monitored during its growth to replicate the Waca pitch’s fast and bouncy nature.
Last week, the drop-in wicket was moved by a 30m-long, 40-tonne cricket wicket transporter onto the stadium playing surface. The machine is the only one of its kind in Western Australia.
The Australia-Pakistan Test at the Perth Stadium will be followed by a few Big Bash League home games of Perth Scorchers.
Pak coaching staff
Two new faces have been confirmed in the Pakistan coaching staff for the three-Test tour of Australia.
Former England all-rounder and ODI captain Adam Hollioake and Australia’s Simon Grant Helmot will be part of the Pakistan team management on the tour Down Under as batting coach and high performance coach, respectively.
After the Perth Test, Pakistan will travel to Melbourne for the Boxing Day Test from December 26, followed by the third and final Test in Sydney from January 3.
