Surprised that the swans didn't use the leverage of the 40 year deal with the ground to make drop in pitches a condition.
AFL is not a minor sport at the SCG.
And drop in pitches are less disruptive to cricket than trying to resurect a muddy AFL centre square.
Both sports loose out by sharing the same centre turf.
Rugby League was played there for almost 100 years and then AFL. Never been a problem to prepare the wicket which has had a unique character. People not into cricket would not appreciate significance of the ground and the wicket. Cricket is far more popular than AFL.in NSW and the SCG.is the home of cricket in that state.
It's a pity
…. got distracted..... meant to say it's a pity we can't have our own stadium.
Blood fever, you don't even live in Sydney.
You are overstating the problems of drop in pitches. With today's tech they are better than permanent pitches and produce the same spin friendly charcteristics the SCG always produced.... More consistently.
Australian pitches are all roads these days. The idea that they have their own distinct characteristics is a myth. Even the famed SCG, is not the spinners paradise it once was. This is due to curators being instructed to prepare pitches with no lateral movement or zip until day 4 to maximise CA revenue. It's essentially either a bat fest by flat track bullies or batsmen getting themselves out, either by poor shot selection or getting bored out by line and length bowling. I much rather watch overseas tests, which are much more of a true contest between bat and ball. So bring on a drop in, won't change anything significantly anyway. Might actually give bowlers a better chance if prepared properly and at the same time, reduce the risk of injury to the footy players in winter.
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