The SCG has hosted two Sheffield Shield matches this season. Both finished inside three days.
Victoria defeated NSW by 300 runs in mid-November after bowling the Blues out for 128 and 125.
The heat is on SCG curator Adam Lewis.Credit: Janie Barrett
Earlier this month, Sam Konstas made 116 in NSW’s first innings total of 7-471 declared against Queensland, before the visitors were dismissed for 92 and 181, delivering the hosts a 341-run win.
“I think after the last couple of days, he [the curator] would probably be a touch nervous up there,” Australia batsman Travis Head said.
“Everyone’s under pressure. It’s international cricket on a huge platform. Everyone wants to get it right, so there’s no doubt they’ll be doing everything they possibly can to make it a really good wicket to finish a great series.
“We can only go by the Shield games they’ve [hosted]. The news was it was pretty good, and then got a couple of cracks. We saw cracks on it last year with grass.”
MCG curator Matthew Page fronts the media on Sunday.Credit: Wayne Taylor
Former Australia fast bowler Brett Lee, who was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame on Sunday, expects the Sydney pitch to be markedly different to the one in Melbourne.
Six of the past 11 SCG Tests have resulted in draws, mostly due to inclement weather.
“I don’t think we’ll see 10 millimetres of grass in Sydney [as there was in Melbourne],” Lee said. “I think Sydney will be a beautiful batting surface like what we’ve seen in recent times.
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“I’m expecting a full five days of cricket up in Sydney. [This Test] made T20 cricket look slow. I don’t think we’ll see that in Sydney. I think it’s going to be that traditional Test wicket, and we’ll go into at least the fourth or fifth day.”
Meanwhile, Beau Webster and Josh Inglis have been released from Australia’s Test squad to play in the Big Bash.
Webster will play for the Hobart Hurricanes against the Melbourne Renegades on Monday, while Inglis will take the field for the Perth Scorchers against the Sydney Thunder on Tuesday. Both will return to the Test set-up on December 31 to prepare for the final Ashes Test.
