'Dry track': Injury to Josh Hazlewood opens door to different looking pitch, claims Michael Vaughan
WA Cricket has refused to comment on speculation surrounding the state of the pitch at Optus Stadium for the first Ashes Test.
Following the news that Josh Hazlewood would not play in Perth due to a hamstring problem, former England captain Michael Vaughan suggested curators could now prepare a pitch for off-spinner Nathan Lyon, with the team's best pace bowlers out of the side.
"I just wonder if Australia will now attempt to make a dry track to make sure Lyon is hugely in the game… #JustSaying #Ashes," Vaughan posted.
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The pitch's curator, Isaac McDonald, said last week that it was being prepared with pace and bounce in mind.
"Something in it for the quicks, something in it for the batters. Good batters scored good runs and the quicks were in the game in the last few Tests here," McDonald said.
"(We're) aiming for that really good balance between bat and ball but the characteristics of pace and bounce have got to be there and we'll see what happens on day one."
Nathan Lyon of Australia inspects the pitch at Optus Stadium. Getty
Lyon has dominated at Optus Stadium, taking 29 wickets over five Tests at the venue.
Australia's fast bowling stocks will definitely be tested in the series opener with skipper Cummins and Hazlewood out.
Scott Boland, 36, will win his 15th cap bowling with 35-year-old Starc in Perth, while Brendan Doggett looks set to earn his first at the age of 31, which would make him the only quick to debut for Australia since 2021.
Usman Khawaja, who will be 39 during the series, remains a lock-in as one opener despite diminishing returns from a career that started in the last test England won on Australian soil in 2011.
Youngsters Sam Konstas and Nathan McSweeney have been tried and discarded for now, and it looks like the uncapped Jake Weatherald or 31-year-old Marnus Labuschagne will walk out with Khawaja in Perth.
