It’s inconceivable: Cricket Australia refuses to take more Test pitch control

MELBOURNE: Cricket Australia has ruled out taking greater control over Test pitch preparation, insisting that local curators are best placed to deliver good, unique surfaces despite criticism following the costly Ashes series earlier this year.

Following the two-day finishes in the Perth and MCG Tests, which cost CA nearly AUD 15 million in revenue, the quality of the state pitches came under intense scrutiny.

CA CEO Todd Green had also admitted that short Tests are “bad for business”.It’s inconceivable that we could ever control much more than we do now,” CA’s head of operations Peter Roach was quoted as saying by Australian Associated Press.

“In England, you could put in a central curator to go around or New Zealand, or South Africa, because the wickets and the clays and the climates are so similar.CA currently employs consultant Les Burdett to assist curators, but does not dictate what kind of pitches to be prepared.

They, however, encourage curators to prepare pitches that last at least four days and offer a balanced contest between bat and ball, without resulting in dull draws.

Roach said CA wants states to embrace their venues’ unique characteristics rather than produce uniform pitches.

“The difference of our pitches across from west to east to north to south is so pronounced and it’s something that we don’t want to change,” 

“In Australia, because they’re so different, you could put the best curator in Australia to a different venue and all of a sudden they’re an also-ran for a while.

But despite the losses, CA is reluctant to opt for a centralised model.