The guardians of the 22-yards that matter in cricket, are often secretive about the surfaces they offer. The Adelaide Oval’s head curator Damian Hough, while believing in the mystique of a pitch, still held a mirror to the turf that would play host to the second Test, a day-and-night fixture, between Australia and India here from Friday.
Talking to the media on a sunny Wednesday morning, Damian said: “We are happy about where we are today, the compaction and the moisture is where we want it to be. You do adapt every year, get some finer details in. It is coarse matted grass, even grass cover, good with regard to moisture, but dry and hard, so something where the quicks will get a bit out of it, spinners will be able to get some light turn and bounce, but also important for us to get some partnerships with the players and the batters to be able to play their shots.”
As for the granular detail about the grass, Damian was quick to reply: “Should be around six millimetres.” And when queried again about the pitch, the curator remained guarded: “All we do is try and produce a pitch that provides an even contest between bat and ball.”
With all the talk about pace, Damian was quick to point out the venue’s soft corner for spin: “Be assured, at the Adelaide Oval, traditionally spin plays a role and we don’t see that changing.” The weather, though, might queer the pitch and Damian added: “Looks like some storms on Friday. Hopefully it clears out Saturday morning and it should be good for the remainder of the Test.”
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