3 minute read

The eagerly anticipated pink-ball Test at Adelaide Oval will likely be delayed on day one due to rain and heavy storms.

Adelaide Oval curator Damian Hough is preparing for the first day of the second Test to be impacted by rain and storms.

A sell-out crowd is predicted at the 53,500-capacity ground on Friday, when up to 7mm of rain is expected, as Australia try to recover from a 295-run smashing from India in Perth.

It will be India's first pink-ball Test in Australia since they were famously rolled for 36 at the Adelaide Oval back in 2020.

Hough, who has helped transform the famous pitch in the South Australian capital from a batter's paradise to an entertaining battle between bat and ball, will have a keen eye on the radar early in the Test.

"Friday looks like it could be thunderstorms," he said.

"I'm not sure exactly on the timing of those storms coming through, but we're expecting to pull covers on Friday.

"Hopefully it clears out on Saturday morning, then it should be good for the remainder of the Test."

A total of 6mm of grass will be left on the pitch for the Test - the same length for the recently completed Sheffield Shield match between South Australia and Western Australia.

That match was weather-affected, ending in a draw, but quicks from both teams caused headaches for batters when they had the new ball.

"Shield games, whether it's a red ball or a pink one, we're trying to replicate the Shield and the Test preparation ... very similar preparations," Hough said.

"The Shield pitch showed if you didn't get a new ball under lights, and you had a couple of set batters in, you're able to see through some night-time cricket."

Hough didn't believe the pitch played a role in India's stunning demise four years ago when they had a 53-run first-innings lead, before losing by eight wickets after a record collapse on day three.

"On the morning of day three, no one would have expected that Test match to finish in three days," he said.

"That was just really good bowling from Australia ... I don't think the pitch played a part in that. 

"Our job is to get that balance right and try to get a really good, even contest."