The pitch at the WACA ground in Perth is, in every way, the centre of attention for the third and final Test between Australia and the West Indies, starting tomorrow (10.30 pm tonight east Caribbean time).
Head curator Cameron Sutherland has worked to produce a surface with the pace and bounce for which the WACA was once famous.
Australian captain Ricky Ponting said in his regular newspaper column yesterday that he was looking forward to such conditions once again, noting that “certainly all the signs are encouraging,” with a good cover of grass on the pitch during preparation.
“This season there have been good reports coming out of Perth, with New South Wales beating Western Australia inside three days thanks to an excellent bowling performance from Doug Bollinger on a lively pitch,” Ponting wrote.
“If the Test pitch is something similar that is great news for players and great news for the fans who will see plenty of lively cricket.”
It is also encouragement for fast bowlers on both sides with most interest on young West Indies fast bowler Kemar Roach, the find of the series with his consistent 90-miles-an-hour pace.
Joel Garner, the West Indies team manager, was a member of the formidable bowling attack of the 1980s that routed Australia for 76 and 228 on their way to an innings beating in the 1984 Test at the WACA.
He told the website, cricinfo.com yesterday, that the key for fast bowlers was “not to get carried away by the ground’s reputation.” Instead, they should know their limitations and bowl within them.
“I don’t really look at the records too much because you tend to get carried away,” he said. “You have to play in the framework of what you’ve got going.”
Australia have not lost a Test to the West Indies since their tour of the Caribbean in 2003 and lead 1-0 after their innings victory in the first Test in Brisbane. They held on for a hard-fought draw against a vastly improved showing from the West Indies in the second in Adelaide.
Given the record at the ground since its inaugural Test in 1970, a definite result is likely.
In that time, 20 of the 36 matches have ended in victory for Australia, nine for the opposition, with only seven draws.
Ramnaresh Sarwan, the key one-down West Indies batsman and veteran of 82 Tests, acknowledges that there will be pressure on both teams.
“It is very important that we continue to play the way we did in Adelaide,” he said. “We don’t want to do so well there and then come here and let it go.”
“It’s important that we continue to play good cricket and stick to our disciplines and the plans we put in place,” he added.
“We just have to concentrate on our job and do what is required. There is a good feeling in the camp and we believe we can get the job done.”
Ponting claimed that, during his time and “with very rare exceptions”, Perth and Brisbane were the two places Australia felt “most confident of victory” because of the extra bounce in the pitch.
“As batsmen we loved playing there,” he stated. “The pitches played with great consistency and the ball came on to the bat so you had the confidence to play your shots, making for entertaining cricket.”
But he was disappointed that the WACA pitch had become lower and slower in recent seasons, “continuing the trend of pitches around the world.”
After going unbeaten on the ground since losing to the West Indies by 10 wickets in 1997, Australia have gone down in their last two Tests – by 72 runs to India in January 2008 and by six wickets as South Africa amassed 414 for four in their second innings in December 2009.
Ponting said it was no surprise that the West Indies batted well in Adelaide where they totalled 451 and 317 and pressed hard, but unsuccessfully, for victory on the final day when Australia held on with five wickets down.
“The slow, low pitch was always going to suit their style of play”, the Australia captain claimed. “However, if the WACA pitch is anything like the Perth of my younger days, I think they’ll struggle like they struggled in Brisbane during the first Test (all out 228 and 187 in their innings loss).”
Both teams have been weakened by injuries to fast bowlers during the series.
For the West Indies, Jerome Taylor broke down with a damaged hip during the first Test and returned to the Caribbean to recover.
Ben Hilfenhaus, Australia’s Man of the Match in Brisbane, has been out of action since with a knee injury and there is doubt over whether Peter Siddle, recovering from a hamstring strain, would be passed fit by tomorrow morning. Brett Geeves, the 27-year-old Tasmanian, has been summoned as back-up.
Teams: West Indies (from): Chris Gayle (captain), Adrian Barath, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Brendan Nash, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin, Darren Sammy, Sulieman Benn, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Gavi Tonge, Travis Dowlin.
Australia (from): Ricky Ponting (captain), Simon Katich, Shane Watson, Mike Hussey, Michael Clarke, Marcus North, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Peter Siddle (or Brett Geeves), Doug Bollinger, Clint McKay.
Umpires: Billy Bowden (New Zealand), Ian Gould (England). Match referee: Chris Broad (England).
Weather forecast: Sunny and fine. High temperatures 24 degrees (first day), 28 degrees (second day), 31 degrees (third day).
