What are snake cracks in Perth Pitch? Its significance in IND vs AUS Test

With the focus revolving around a menacing Perth pitch at the Optus Stadium for Australia’s first Border Gavaskar Trophy Test against India on Monday, head curator Isaac McDonald said that he does not expect the pitch to produce excessive bounce or cracks over the five days.  Check IND vs AUS 1st Test Day 2 LIVE SCORE AND MATCH UPDATES HERE  

  'Snake cracks' not expected in Perth despite unusual rain 

Traditionally hailed as the city with the fastest pitches in the world, the surface at the Perth pitch nearby the old WACA ground is expected to hold better than usual said the curator, who does not expect the surface to develop “snake cracks” due to the unusual rain that has hit the venue few days before the game. The pitch was covered for the whole day on Tuesday, cutting down preparation time for the curator.  What is a 'Snake crack'?  The pitch at Optus Stadium, as well as the nearby WACA ground, is renowned for its pace and bounce. In dry conditions, when cracks start to appear, it offers extra help to the seamers and also brings the spinners into the game. The cracks are as wide as 5 mm at times and can cause the batters a great deal of discomfort during the innings as well.

 

Wet weather in Perth this deep into spring is unusual, with the famously warm Western Australia capital usually almost totally dry from November through to April. But the unexpected rain has forced McDonald to adapt.

 

"It's been quite conditions-based," he said. "At the moment, we're leaning towards rolling it a bit more on top to get that firmness, and that happy medium between bat and ball. [It] would be nice if the sun pops out, but we're really comfortable as a curating team."  Perth Test pitch curator McDonald

 

McDonald said 8-10mm of grass would be left on a pitch that he didn't believe would deteriorate like last year's surface.

 

The Optus Stadium saw some unseasonal rain in the lead-up to the first Test of the summer, Perth, November 19, 2024

The Optus Stadium pitch has been under cover because of unseasonal rain in the lead-up to the India Test•Getty Images

"I don't think this weather is going to make this pitch fall apart," he said. "There'll be some deterioration. Grass will stand up during the game and offer that variable bounce. But in terms of big-snake WACA cracks, unfortunately, I don't think the weather's going to get us there."

 

With the focus revolving around a menacing Perth pitch at the Optus Stadium for Australia’s summer-opening first Border Gavaskar Trophy Test against India on Monday, head curator Isaac McDonald said that he does not expect the pitch to produce excessive bounce or cracks over the five days.

 

Traditionally hailed as the city with the fastest pitches in the world, the surface at the Perth pitch nearby the old WACA ground is expected to hold better than usual said the curator, who does not expect the surface to develop “snake cracks” due to the unusual rain that has hit the venue few days before the game. The pitch was covered for the whole day on Tuesday, cutting down preparation time for the curator.

 

Wet weather in Perth this deep into spring is unusual, with the famously warm Western Australia capital usually almost totally dry from November through to April. But the unexpected rain has forced McDonald to adapt.

 

"It's been quite conditions-based," he said. "At the moment, we're leaning towards rolling it a bit more on top to get that firmness, and that happy medium between bat and ball. [It] would be nice if the sun pops out, but we're really comfortable as a curating team."

 

McDonald said 8-10mm of grass would be left on a pitch that he didn't believe would deteriorate like last year's surface.

 

The Optus Stadium saw some unseasonal rain in the lead-up to the first Test of the summer, Perth, November 19, 2024

The Optus Stadium pitch has been under cover because of unseasonal rain in the lead-up to the India Test•Getty Images

"I don't think this weather is going to make this pitch fall apart," he said. "There'll be some deterioration. Grass will stand up during the game and offer that variable bounce. But in terms of big-snake WACA cracks, unfortunately, I don't think the weather's going to get us there."