Pat Cummins-led Australian side will provide a tough test to Shan Masood-led Pakistan when the two teams meet at Optus Stadium in Perth on December 14 for AUS vs PAK 1st Test. The first Test of a three-match series will be played on a challenging pitch, according to Perth Optus Stadium curator Isaac McDonald.
Pakistan have never triumphed in a Test series against Australia. Their most recent tour to Australia took place in 2019/20, when they were thrashed by the Aussies 2-0 in the series, losing both matches by an innings.
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And it looks like this tour will be another huge obstacle for Pakistan as ten millimetres of grass has been left on the pitch two days prior to the match. However, pitch curator Isaac McDonald has said some grass will be trimmed before the beginning of the match.
“The conditions are really favourable for making a really nice, fast, hard and bouncy wicket. I’m really happy with the presentation and how it’s going,” McDonald told reporters on Tuesday.
“At the moment I’m at 10mm [of grass] and that’s where I started last year’s game. But there’s still a day of prep. It’s hard to give a number, but I can’t see it staying at 10. Definitely not having as much grass on top is what I’m aiming for,” McDonald added.
The fast wicket will pose a major problem to Pakistan, who had previously complained about the slow nature of the pitch in their Canberra warm-up game against Prime Minister’s XI where only 13 wickets fell in three days.