Confidence in Second Test pitch but rain could dampen spirits of Adelaide Oval revellers
HEAVY rain on Friday won’t ruin the Ashes Second Test but will dampen the revelry of a 50,000 weekend crowd that was expected to drink Adelaide Oval dry.
- Another scorcher today — then a Friday deluge
- Army of Adelaide Oval staff ready for their biggest Test
- Your personalised weather forecast
- Australia’s record breaking heat about to give way to flooding rain
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HEAVY rain and unseasonable chill won’t ruin Damian Hough’s surface but will dampen the revelry of a 50,000 weekend Test crowd that was expected to drink Adelaide Oval dry.
Adelaide’s state of the art drainage can handle a Friday night deluge ahead of the opening Saturday of the second Test and first Ashes match under day-night conditions.
Hough’s intricate radar warning system can pre-empt downfalls — rushing the covers out or keeping them on as required.
However, Hough — dealing with a short five-day preparation between South Australia’s Sheffield Shield clash against Tasmania last Sunday and the Second Test — must also fight the elements.
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Hough — Australia’s premier cricket curator — rates pitch preparation like “baking a pie, knowing when to add ingredients” and moisture.
The trick this week has been adding moisture in searing temperatures while knowing there could be massive rainfall on the way and condensation under the covers.
Hough has developed a coarse, thatch cover capable of dealing with any scenario but faces an unprecedented challenge in his third day-night Test as Adelaide curator.
The pink ball is known to go soft if affected by rain.
However, 30,000 fans out the back of the members stand frequenting the vodka and Pimms tent could prove SACA’s biggest headache.