‘The surface will remain..’: Key revelation from MCG curator about pitch for India-Pakistan high octane clash

On Sunday (October 23), the legendary Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) will be crowded with fans to see the epic rivalry between arch-rivals India and Pakistan. The prediction for the game had not been favorable until Saturday (October 22), but conditions appeared to have improved sufficiently enough for the game to go place presently.

Everyone’s attention has now shifted to the 22 yards, and curiosity about the pitch’s behavior has grown. Meanwhile, MCG pitch curator Michael Salvatore has hinted that the surface would remain constant for the full 40 overs of play. He also claimed that the pitch was built three weeks prior to the game.

“T20 wickets are usually really consistent for the whole match. So it should make for a really good game. We have brought it from our wicket nursery which is just outside the ground. It’s literally 200 meters outside the ground so we can move and monitor and maintain the wickets all year around. And the wickets were installed three weeks ago,” he said while speaking to A Sports.

For the uninitiated, the wickets used at the MCG and other stadiums are drop-in pitches, with the grounds also being used for other sports, particularly football. Once the cricket season is over, the drop-in pitches are removed and cared for in preparation for the future contests.

“So we have drop-in wickets here at the MCG. So for the cricket season we bring the wickets in and I sit on some sand and bed in nicely. And then once cricket finishes, we have got the football stadium. We have the ability to take them out and put them up in our special week anniversary where we can look after and maintain them,” Salvatore added.

With rain expected to be a factor, it remains to be seen if the toss would be important in the headline game between India and Pakistan on Sunday evening.

The previous time India met Pakistan in the T20 World Cup, they were defeated by a ten-wicket margin. In the game, the Indian hitters failed to pose a danger to the Pakistani bowlers and failed to score a competitive total. 

Shaheen Shah Afridi played an important role for the squad and was named Player of the Match for his 3-for-31 bowling stint.

In this tournament, India will be without Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah. Mohammad Shami has stepped in for Bumrah and played an important part in the team’s warm-up game against Australia. The Indian batting lineup has been impressive in recent months, and it would be intriguing to watch how they respond to the bowlers this time.

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