AUSTRALIA , SYDNEY: If you're looking for good grass in Australia, the SCG is not the place to go to. Unlike the drop-in pitch at Adelaide that gave both Australia and Pakistan a high the other day, or the old-world Perth that the hosts still prefer when looking for a pace-kick, the Sydney Cricket Ground has been rather dry in recent years.
Those looking for a thrill here are generally the ones who prefer going slow. Harbhajan Singh to Rangana Herath and Imran Tahir, they've all tasted success at the SCG, thanks to the changing nature of wickets that aren't exactly old school here.
Blame it on Tom Parker, the guardian of the field of play in Sydney, who's been at the job for 18 years now. Those who have a clue about what Parker does here have no doubt in calling the SCG his baby. His writ runs so large in this part of Sydney that the Australian national team considers it a favour if Parker obliges them in any way.
"He hasn't done us a favour in a while now," says Aussie quick Josh Hazlewood.
Parker, it's clear, isn't the kind who loves to oblige. "He didn't do us any favours in the Test match (at SCG), so we'd obviously like some grass on it to suit our quicks. It would help us with them (India) having a couple of spinners and us favouring the quicks... so definitely it will be good," Hazlewood said on Friday.
The debate has already begun that given the nature of the SCG wicket and Misbah-ul-Haq suggesting that the track would support spin outright, there's been a lot of talk over whether Australia have the necessary arsenal to tackle the slow conditions.
But like any bowler who'd love to stick to his basics and work on his strengths, Hazlewood is hoping the SCG gives the hosts a good reason to smile next week. "I bowl a lot up front with the new ball and try and swing it around and take a few early ones and Pat (Cummins) can be used more in the Powerplay and at the end with his change of pace, his yorkers and bouncers. He has obviously got a bit of extra pace and he can use that at different times," said Hazlewood. Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc make the rest of the attack.
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