MCC CEO Stuart Fox has confirmed the MCG is in the process of creating new pitches, with hopes they will be ready within three years.
The MCG pitch came under fire again after a lifeless day one of the Boxing Day Test, but has improved since, and Fox has revealed new wickets are on the way.
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“We are really committed but we just need a little bit of patience because after this Test is over, we will look to build probably three to four new pitches, starting from scratch, with a higher clay content, which should produce more bounce and seam movement,” Fox told SEN Test Cricket.
“That process, it takes three years for those pitches, once they’ve started to be built, to completion, to actually be sitting out in the middle ready for play.”
Fox also explained what he is looking for in the new wickets, discussing the characteristics he hopes they can show.
“I think we are looking for just better performance of our pitches,” he said.
“A really even contest between bat and ball. We still want people to make 100, we want batsmen to go well, we want our bowlers to go well.
“Our pitches, over 15 years, have served us reasonably well although they haven’t been, what I would class as, aggressive wickets.
“I’m not sure we want to produce something like Perth, but something in-between. Adelaide has got its own characteristics.
“I just think we want to produce pitches that can get a result across four to five days.”
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Despite new pitch curator Matt Page receiving criticism after day one, Fox backed him as the “guy to take us forward” and solve the MCG’s issues.
In response to the poor opening day, Fox admitted he was surprised by it, but said the pitch has gotten better since then. He doesn’t think the pitch will receive a poor rating again, like it did in last year’s Ashes Boxing Day Test.
Listen to Stuart Fox’s chat on SEN Test Cricket in the player below