Often in the past, the Australian players have pushed for a Test match in Brisbane earlier in the summer than later, and they have their reasons for that, which find backing in the comments by the Gabba pitch curator, David Sandurski.
Australia’s record at the venue in matches played before and after Christmas makes for a telling piece of statistics.
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According to a report by the Australian Associated Press (AAP), there have been only five Tests hosted at the Gabba after Christmas, and Australia have lost three of those, including two in the last three years — against India in 2021 and against the West Indies this year. Both the games were played in January.
In contrast, the 61 Tests played before Christmas have seen Australia losing just seven times. In fact, until their defeat against India in 2021, they hadn’t lost at the Gabba since 1988, making the stadium a fortress for the hosts.
The traditional pace and carry that the Gabba track offers is more on a fresh track early in the season as opposed to after Christmas. As a result, it offers more help to the home team’s pacers and makes the visiting batters hop.
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The rainy weather ahead of the Test beginning December 14 might add a bit more juice to the track.
“Different times of year definitely makes it different, it can be a slightly different pitch,” pitch curator Sandurski told AAP. “Pitches later in the season might have a bit more wear and tear while ones early in the season usually are a bit fresher and might have a bit more in them.”
“Generally speaking we still prepare the pitch the exact same way every time to try and get the same good carry, pace and bounce that the Gabba is known for,” Sandurski added. “We are just trying to make a traditional Gabba wicket like we do each year.”
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