'No directives from anyone': Perth Stadium curator shuts down Michael Vaughan's conspiracy theory

Isaac McDonald - the head curator for Perth Stadium - has shut down a theory from England great Michael Vaughan regarding the pitch for the Ashes series opener.

After injuries to both Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood left the hosts without two front-line quicks for the first Test, Vaughan took to social media to question whether the usual conditions in Perth would differ to allow Nathan Lyon to make a bigger impact.

"I just wonder if Australia will now attempt to make a dry track to make sure Lyon is hugely in the game," Vaughan wrote via X.

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Those suggestions were swiftly shut down by McDonald however, who claims that there had been no discussions between Cricket Australia and his team regarding the pitch.

"Absolutely no directives from anyone ever, which has been the case in cricket for a long time and I'm gonna say forever, that just doesn't happen," he told media on Wednesday.

"Low and slow, I think it's just not possible. The west Test is pace and bounce and that's what we're gonna stick to."

Australia are still expected to trot out a quality fast-bowling attack, with Mitchell Starc to be joined by cult hero Scott Boland and debutant Brendan Doggett.

Last year's Perth fixture against India drew plenty of criticism after 17 wickets fell on the opening day, but McDonald is adamant his crew have made the necessary adjustments to ensure a more even contest between bat and ball from the outset.

"Historically at every Test through both venues here in the west, pace and pounce is a mainstay and that's not gonna change any time soon," he said.

"The cracks will be present later in the game, but what I have knuckled down on is ensuring that pace and bounce is spot on for day one, to ensure that even battle.

"In previous years, we have been on the flatter side - last year being the exception - so we have tried to tackle that by starting prep and giving ourselves an extra day.

"Taking lessons from last year, we started prep a day earlier and still sticking with our guns in pace and bounce and really trusting to get our moisture and firmness right."

The curator also said he had "no preference" how long the Test goes for.

"I think if you try and curate wickets to try and suit a certain number of days, I don't think you're doing your job properly," McDonald said.

"I just want a nice even contest between bat and ball and a good game of cricket."

While the man in charge is confident, some of the players still have question marks over the pitch - most notably Starc, who pointed out the inconsistency in recent years.

"We've had five different wickets here," the left-arm quick told media.

"We have had a flat wicket, a pretty slow, flat wicket against the West Indies one year. The first Test here was one where it cracked up and played a bit like the WACA used to.

"Last year, obviously, we saw the wickets in the first day and then it got pretty flat.

"So you can look at trends and you can look at what's happened, but in the end, you have got to play what's in front of you and adapt to that."