MELBOURNE : Cricket Australia will resist calls to take greater control of test pitch preparation despite criticism over two Ashes matches that ended inside two days and cost the governing body millions of dollars in lost revenue.
The first test against England in Perth and the fourth test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground were both completed in two days, prompting scrutiny of the wickets.
While the Perth pitch received a favourable assessment from the International Cricket Council match referee, the MCG surface was rated “unsatisfactory” after 36 wickets fell and the match heavily favoured the bowlers.
Although Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg said during the Melbourne test that it would be difficult for the board not to become more involved, head of operations Peter Roach said on Monday that centralised control was not practical.
“It’s inconceivable that we could ever control much more than we do now,” Roach told reporters.
“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.
“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.
“Because they wouldn’t know the characteristics and the climate and how those pitches respond to that.”
Test matches are scheduled to last up to five days, with most ending within four, and two-day contests remain rare.
Local media reported that the lost playing days in Perth and Melbourne left Cricket Australia nearly A$15 million ($10.43 million) out of pocket through ticket refunds and other costs.
Roach was speaking after Cricket Australia announced its home summer schedule, which will feature a first four-test series against New Zealand starting in Perth on Dec. 9, followed by matches in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.
