The Ashes are just around the corner, and the fire is expected tonrage as age-old rivals go head-to-head in what is expected to be the most competitive Australian Ashes in decades. However, the series doesn’t start without a touch of early disgruntlement, as the Ashes kick off in Perth rather than the traditional opening venue of the Gabba in Brisbane.
With the Perth Stadium set to host its first Ashes match, with previous games having been hosted at the WACA nearby. Having only hosted 5 Test matches, most recently in last year’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy, it hasn’t proven to be a very popular switch.
Before the Ashes were set to begin, Mitchell Starc spoke openly about his dislike for the decision to play at the Optus Stadium, rather than at the marked-for-renovation at the WACA or in Brisbane.
“They don’t listen to the players; we would have liked to start in Brisbane, too,” said the big left arm seamer, taking aim at Cricket Australia and making it clear that this was a relatively unilateral decision.
Further, Starc spoke about the memories of playing at the WACA, where the wind cuts through the heat and provides opportunity for seamers to find movement as well as the famous seam and hard bounce.
“ I miss the WACA. The Fremantle Doctor (the coastal summer breeze in Western Australia) comes in. It’s swirly wind here, not one direction. You can have three directions each over.”
Starc’s issue with variability of Perth pitch
Starc also raised an issue with the lack of uniformity at this stadium, with the known quantity of the WACA being replaced by a ground which uses drop-in pitches that can vary greatly.
“We’ve had five different wickets here in a sense – we’ve had a pretty slow, flat wicket against the West Indies, we had the first Test here where it cracked up and played a bit like the WACA used to,” he explained.
“Last year, we saw lots of wickets on the first day. There’s been a fair bit made about the colour of it, that it’s going to be a green mamba – it’s all good and well to look at the wicket, but until both teams have played on it, we’re not really sure what it’s going to do,” said the seamer.
Starc will be Australia’s senior and most experienced fast bowler to start the series, with Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins both missing out injured. He will be supported by Scott Boland, who has an excellent record against England, and debutant Brendan Doggett.
