Published: Mar 24, 2015, 09:19 AM (IST)
Edited: Mar 24, 2015, 10:13 AM (IST)
Sydney: The covers shielded the wicket at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) as a bit of rain hit the city on Tuesday afternoon. On Monday, you could see a bit of a greenish tinge to the wicket as Andy Atkinson, the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) pitch guru supervised the preparations ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 semi-final between India and Australia. But, with the covers on the next day, the mystery of the wicket was under wraps. Things could change by Thursday when India and Australia clash and it wouldn’t be fair to make assumptions about the wicket after a brief look. Live Scorecard: Australia vs India ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 semi-final
Aaron Finch, the Australian opening batsman, addressed the media after the training session on Tuesday. He concurred that things can change in Sydney in two days and it is difficult to say anything about it. “I haven’t really had too much of a look at it. Last time I played here it looked like the wicket would spin quite a bit; but it didn’t and it played really true. Still two days out and it’s hard to tell. The wicket can change quite a bit in two days, especially here in Sydney,†he said. Read: Virat Kohli vs Australia: Stats highlights of India’s star batsman
On Monday, James Faulkner was asked about Atkinson’s presence and the wicket. “That’s the first I have heard of that (Atkinson’s presence). And I haven’t seen it, it’s just Monday. I have no idea where to go with that,†Faulkner said. India vs Australia 2015 World Cup semi-final: Virat Kohli looks to continue good show SCG
Michael Vaughan, the former England captain, feels it will be a bat-first wicket. Vaughan called it one of the best surfaces in the world and said that although a lot of teams have won chasing in recent times, he feels it is important to bat first in the semi-final and get the runs on the board. “Both teams have strength. If you are a good side, you can win irrespective of you are batting first or chasing. The last 10 out of 13 games at the SCG has been about the team that’s chasing but I think it’s a bat first wicket. Get runs on the board. One of the best pitches in the world and generally a team plays best on a given day will win it,†he said. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Complete Coverage
The last game played at Sydney was the quarterfinal between Sri Lanka and South Africa. On that wicket, the South African spinners gave the Sri Lankans a taste of their own medicine as they snared seven wickets in total. South Africa romped home to a win on a wicket that had help for the spinners. Sydney is one centre that has traditionally had something for the spinners. However, the home side has a pace-dominated attack and a spinning wicket would be more helpful for the Indians. One wonders what the SCG will unleash on Thursday.
Brett Lee, the former Australia fast bowler, feels that if the wicket is slow, India may have the advantage. “I haven’t seen the pitch, but from all the reports that I am reading, I feel it will be a slow wicket. We saw it was very slow in the last game there that South Africa played. It could be a bit low and slow and probably the slower bowlers will come into play which might favour India,†he said.
