A few days earlier, the MCG pitch was deemed unsafe and the Sheffield Shield match between Victoria and Western Australia had to be abandoned midway. However, now, Australia batsman Steve Smith said that he has sure the pitch will be ready in time for the Boxing Day Test against New Zealand.

Talking to the media people ahead of the Test against New Zealand, Smith said, “I’m sure they’ll produce something good for us on Boxing Day. It’s a really fine line with that wicket. These guys have a really tough job. They’ve tried a lot down in Melbourne but not been able to get something that is a bit more bowler-friendly. They’re going to work hard over the next couple of weeks to get us a good wicket for Boxing Day.”

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This, not the first time the MCG pitch has had problems. In 2017, it came copped flak after the ICC rated it as ‘poor’ in the Ashes game that ended in a draw. A second poorly-rated pitch would result in the MCG unable to host international matches for one year, including next year’s Boxing Day Test and the final of the men’s and women’s T20 World Cup.

However, the last Boxing Day Test saw India win the game by 137 runs and the Shield games before the abandoned clash had no trouble either.

Talking about it further, Smith said, “I’d love for it to stay. It’s part of the tradition of Australian cricket for a long time. The Boxing Day Test in Melbourne is something I look forward to every year. It’s a great occasion and I’d love for Melbourne to keep it.”

Nonetheless, Australia and Steve Smith are now focused on Perth for the first Test. However, he has not played at this stadium but has picked the brains of his teammates who have had an outing here.

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The veteran batsman concluded, “I watched the Test match last year which seemed to have some good pace and bounce. I guess it’s just different from the pink ball, how that responds. Sometimes when the wicket’s really hard, it can soften that ball up. I think it will be about us just summing it up and seeing how it plays and adapting really quickly to whatever we need to do.”