Sydney: Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) curator Adam Lewis said he is satisfied with the colour of the pitch ahead of the fifth Ashes Test starting on January 4. It comes on the back of scrutiny that followed after the fourth Ashes game ended in just two days.
The SCG wicket has come under intense focus after the International Cricket Council (ICC) handed the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) an unsatisfactory rating following England's four-wicket victory coming inside two days.
“I don't scroll, I don't have social media, so I try and keep all that negative energy away from me. We just put our own pressure on ourselves. We're trying to produce the best pitch we can with the climate that we're given.
“We're happy with the colour of the pitch at the moment, we don't want it to not have any green in it three days out from the Test. We'll be able to take that colour out of it over the next couple of days. Hopefully, we see a little bit of sun, which will help draw the moisture out.
“Look, we're hoping for a nice green tinge on Day 1 so the ball can get some good carry, but a nice and even surface. We're looking like we've got good weather for the five days, and my gut feeling is that we will see some good batting,” said Lewis on SEN Radio.
Looking back at the MCG pitch, Lewis believes curator Matt Page did the best he could despite the conditions and climate leading up to the Boxing Day Test. He added that his sole focus is now on producing conditions that allow players' skill to decide a game’s result.
“I spoke to Pagey a few times last week. The guys are doing the absolute best they can. Pagey is probably one of the best curators in Australia, if not the world. It's not as if we go out to produce a wicket that it's over in a few days. It’s just a shame. All we can do now is just produce something as even as possible, so it can be decided by the players,” he added.