Australia vs Sri Lanka T20Is: MCG to host final T20I

The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) is one of the oldest cricket stadiums in the world. Also known as “The G”, the stadium will also host the upcoming third and final T20I of the series between Australia and Sri Lanka on November 1.

MCG to move on from drop-in pitches

MCG curator Matt Page is confident that the revitalisation plans of MCG’s old drop-in pitches are coming together and also expects the upcoming cricketing summer at the venue to be better than the previous two seasons. While speaking to a media outlet, Page mentioned about their five-year plan of rejuvenating the MCG tracks. Page added that they removed the concrete slab from the middle to give a more natural environment for the pitches to grow.

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The removed concrete slab was a base for drop-in trays to sit on for the last 20 years at the ground. It proved out to be a problem particularly for first-class cricket on MCG pitches. Page continued that they are aiming to produce competitive pitches in the stadium which would help fast bowlers with the bounce upfront. He was quite optimistic about the pitches to show signs of improvement from this year onwards by hosting exciting cricket contests between bat and ball.

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Last December, the visiting Indian team played a ‘Boxing Day’ Test at the venue. India won the match by 137 runs, however, the International Cricket Council (ICC) labelled the pitch as “average”. Even during the 2017-18 Ashes series, England opening batsman scored an unbeaten 244 on a lifeless MCG track in his ten-hour stay at the crease.

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