Perth curators ride the storms as pitch battle adds Ashes intrigue

Given the hyperbole, with unseasonal weather adding another layer of drama, there is much intrigue over an expected fast and bouncy Perth Stadium surface ahead of the first Test.

However, Australia quick Mitchell Starc remains pessimistic of a pitch which the local tabloid newspaper, in its latest effort to needle England ahead of the series. has dubbed a 'Green Monster'.

The teams in recent days have been preparing in the nets behind the massive ground, with the practice sessions notable for sharp and rapid bounce. Whether conditions can be replicated on a drop-in surface that was put in just four weeks ago remains unknown, although the groundstaff do remain hopeful.

"The wickets out the back have had a bit of sideways, and up and down," Starc told reporters. "I'm not going to pretend I know how to read wickets until they're played on.

"A fair bit has been made about the colour of it and that it's going to be a green mamba. I think it's probably ready to go now, so I don't expect to see it do as much as you all anticipate it to do."

Having opened in 2018, and missing two international cricket seasons due to Covid, Perth Stadium is still a relatively new Test venue with no consistent trend established yet.

In last year's India Test, similarly played in late November, both first innings were over within four sessions before the pitch then flattened on days two and three, before unevenness started to come through via large cracks. The year before, against Pakistan, batting was treacherous in the fourth innings thanks to those same cracks, although that Test was played in the oppressive conditions of mid-December.

While the WACA's lore has been rekindled at times, Perth Stadium has been the best batting surface in Australia across the last four years since the new Kookaburra and greener surfaces have made conditions much more difficult on the east coast. Only five overseas batters have scored centuries in Australia in that time and three of them have come in Perth

"We've had five different wickets in the sense," Starc said of surfaces at Perth Stadium over the years. "We got a pretty slow, flat wicket against the West Indies [in 2022 which went deep into day five].

"The first Test here [in 2018] was one where it cracked up and played a bit like the WACA used to. Last year saw all those wickets on the first day and then it got pretty flat.

"You can look at trends and you can look at what's happened. In the end you got to play what's in front of you."

Adding to the intrigue, there has been some stormy weather in the metropolitan area in recent days, while rain is forecast this weekend on the back of a wetter winter and spring in Perth.

Wet weather in Perth this deep into spring is unusual, with the famously sun-drenched Western Australia capital usually almost totally dry from November through to April.

But WA Cricket head curator Isaac McDonald does not believe the elements will change the expected characteristics of the surface.

"You look historically at every Test through both venues here in the west, pace and bounce is a mainstay, and that's not going to change any time soon," said McDonald, whose on-field press engagement was pushed back due to lightning strikes close to the ground.

"This forecast has been hit and miss. The temperatures have been varying by a few degrees here and there every day. Taking lessons learned from last year, we started prep a day earlier.....really trusting to get our moisture and firmness right."

McDonald said 9mm of grass is currently left on the drop-in pitch, a similar amount to recent Tests at the ground. "The cracks will be present later in the game. What I've really knuckled down this preparation is ensuring the pace and bounce is spot on for day one, to ensure an even battle," he said.

"Previous years, I think we've been on the flatter side. But last year, being the exception, we were probably a day early in preparation.

"So we tried to tackle that with giving ourselves an extra day in preparation to try and even out that balance."