"Not going to change any time soon": Curator on Perth pitch ahead of Ashes opener

Perth [Australia], November 19 (ANI): WA Cricket head curator Isaac McDonald has spiced up the things regarding how the pitch will behave for the Ashes opener between Australia and England at the Optus Stadium, starting Friday.
Having opened in 2018, Optus Stadium in Perth has missed two international cricket seasons due to Covid, and the stadium is a relatively new Test venue with no consistent trend established yet.
When India toured Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, the first Test was played at Optus Stadium, and both teams' first innings were over within four sessions before the pitch flattened on Days 2 and 3. The cracks started to come through as well.
Ahead of the Ashes opener against England, WA Cricket head curator Isaac McDonald does not believe the track will change any time soon
"You look historically at every Test through both venues here in the west, pace and bounce is a mainstay, and that's not going to change any time soon," Isaac McDonald said, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
"This forecast has been hit and miss. The temperatures have been varying by a few degrees here and there every day. Taking lessons learned from last year, we started prep a day earlier.....really trusting to get our moisture and firmness right," McDonald added.
McDonald added that 9mm of grass is currently left on the drop-in surface for the Ashes opener.
"The cracks will be present later in the game. What I've really knuckled down this preparation is ensuring the pace and bounce is spot on for day one, to ensure an even battle," he said.
"Previous years, I think we've been on the flatter side. But last year, being the exception, we were probably a day early in preparation. So we tried to tackle that with giving ourselves an extra day in preparation to try and even out that balance." McDonald concluded.

Meanwhile, Australia have announced their squad for the opening Test against England. Steve Smith will lead the side in the absence of injured Pat Cummins.
Engalnd, on the other hand, have announced their 12-member squad with Mark Wood and Shoaib Bashir included. Ben Stokes will continue to lead the Three Lions.
England squad for first Test: Ben Stokes (captain), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Mark Wood.
Australia squad for first Test: Steve Smith (captain), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wicketkeeper), Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wicketkeeper), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster. (ANI)