How the WACA turned from a tiger to a pussycat

Interesting piece from Selvey, though he's probably using this info to come up with his "dead/unplayable pitch depending on how the Poms are going" excuses in the coming match.

Basically the WACA pitch has settled down because they've run out of the soil which gives it its bounce. They can resort to articifical tactics like leaving grass on or adding moisture, but those are just stop-gap tactics. I think it was last WACA-like when Pakistan played OZ in early 2005 and Akhtar reduced us to 5-70 or something in that opening session before Gilly and Langer (who both have the WACA as their home ground) mounted a rescue effort. That was the match that Pidge got 8fer. The year after, it was a high-scoring draw between OZ and SA.

The curator reckons he's found a suitable replacement finally, but who knows until they put it in and see what it's like over a period of a couple of years.

Shame - I used to love the sight of fast bowlers destroying batsmen at the WACA, and seeing the ones with good enough techniques thrive.

Its not just Selvy - was listening to an Aussie ABC presenter bemoning what had happened to Perth - basically he was saying that they had destroyed the 'quickest strip in the world' in a matter of 2 years.

Everyone has been saying this and some people are even saying the best bet at the Waca would be to go in with 2 specialist spinners.

I read something that said that they've managed to locate some clay which was similar to the old Waca pitch but it will take a while to create a new one from it. In the meanwhile, we'll see another subcontinental road

it's very sad

the mention of the waca scares the s--- out of most subcontinentals
it takes a certain calibre of batsman to come out of the match, reputation unscathed

What's the latest on the MCG pitch, Daoud?

Sorry mate, dont have a clue but Id imagine it would still offer more to the quicks than any of the remaining pitches (not that its saying much though)

I dunno...we may have been against a poor quality side today but the WACA still looks like a pitch for the fast bowlers, though not what it once was. What we need is plenty of pace - when we are struggling for a breakthrough then the last thing we want is spinners or medium pacers bowling in tandem, which is what has happened a lot in this series. We need fast bouncers and yorkers.

I would go for Harmison, Mahmood and Flintoff, all are high eighties bowlers and low nineties on a good day, then Hoggard as the new ball medium pacer, and Panesar as the spinner. We might pick a different team and win, but going on what I've seen, that is who I would pick.

SA played out a draw last yr that tells the story of the waca pitch

there has to be a way to chemically form this clay

i'm not buying their claims that the sand has run out

The waca pitch has been devastating for batsmen for decades and decades and decades

besides like i said the soil can be replicated chemically

Could you outline the process to do this chemically? How would you do it?

ask a chemist

I don't think it's as slow as people make it out to be. Last year i remember Ntini running through Australia causing them all sorts of problems. Then Brett Lee did the same thing to the proteas. It's nowhere near it's peak pace but it'll have more for the quickies than nearly all of the other pitches in world cricket.

You don't reckon the WACA groundsman would've done that already?

I just don't like the fact that we are seeing too many 'similar' pitches! There should be an obvious difference between the pitches at Wankadhe and WACA !

Is the new Perth curator someone named Jeera Blade. he has been quite successful in Pakistan and Indian

http://youtube.com/watch?v=aaujVg76PbQ

I would love to see a pitch like that on Thursday - please not 3 more roads in the remaining tests.

haha the point is that what I'm suggesting isn't anything based on something new and cutting edge

All you need is to take the old waca soil compare its chemical structure with the new soil and add or subtract any differences

Chemists have been modding items for hundreds of years...

Takes time though, and a bit of trial and error. From FoxSports.com.au

Looks like the WACA will have a bit in it for the bowlers this year. Show these FTBs what test cricket is all about.