PERTH, Australia, CMC – Pitch curator Cameron Sutherland says the WACA strip should provide pace and bounce for the third Test starting next week, welcome news for West Indies who believe speedster Kemar Roach holds the key to a victory over Australia.
Sutherland said this week he would ensure there was plenty life in the wicket, sustaining a rich tradition where pace has played a huge role in the outcome of Tests between the two countries.
“Obviously there’s a bit of history there with the great West Indian fast bowlers, and even the Australians like (Dennis) Lillee, (Jeff) Thompson and (Glenn) McGrath,” Sutherland pointed out.
“It’s just exciting with a young guy like Kemar Roach coming into the picture adding a bit of spice to it.
“The aim is always pace and bounce. The last couple of years have been fractionally off the mark, but we’ll hopefully rectify that this year.”
Coming off an impressive draw in the second Test at Adelaide, West Indies will be gunning for a win when the final Test bowls off next Wednesday (Tuesday night, Eastern Caribbean time).
The wicket will be expected to play a central role in the game, with Roach having already troubled the Aussie batsmen with his express pace on relatively flat tracks in Brisbane and Adelaide.
West Indies boast an outstanding record at Perth, winning three of their last four Tests played at the ground, dating back to 1988. Only one of those matches have gone the distance with the other three having finished inside three days.
Australia won the last outing in 2000 when they thrashed the Caribbean side by an innings and 27 runs in a match dominated by the hosts’ quick bowlers.
Sutherland said he was being cautious with the preparation, however, as he needed to take into consideration the length of the match.
“It has played [on] my mind in previous years where I think about the possibility of it being over in two or three days and that makes you err on the side of caution,” he stressed.
“India only went four days [last year], and the Ashes [in 2006] and South Africa [last year] were four-and-a-half. We just need a bit more pace and bounce.”
Despite the prospects of pace, there are some question marks over the WACA pitch which was recently re-laid, and the upcoming Test will be its first international match of the summer.
“This is a new strip, so it will be the first time it’s had a first-class fixture on it,” Sutherland said.
“We played some Twenty20s on it last year to bed it down a bit and we’re excited to see how it goes now.”
Curtly Ambrose’s spell of seven wickets for one run in 1993 remains one of the outstanding memories at the ground. It helped the Windies to an innings and 25-run victory and gave them their last series win over Australia.
