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📻 IMPORTANT AUCKLAND UPDATE 📻
Green monster: SCG curator happy with pitch colour days out from Test
SEN • January 2nd, 2026 2:39 pm
SCG curator Adam Lewis has been in the spotlight across the past week following the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.
The pitch at the ‘G received an ‘unsatisfactory’ rating from the ICC after the wicket offered far too much to seam bowling, as England went on to win by four wickets inside just two days.
It was the second time in this series that a match hasn’t made it to Day 3, and with Sydney the fifth and final Test, fans are desperate for some good Test cricket on a pitch that’s conducive to all facets of the game.
While pressure is mounting on the SCG, particularly after images of what appeared to be a green surface circulated yesterday, Lewis himself is staying away from media comments as he and his team look to produce the best wicket they can.
“I don't scroll, I don't have social media, so I try and keep all that negative energy away from me,” Lewis told 1170 SEN Breakfast.
“We just put our own pressure on ourselves. We're trying to produce the best pitch we can with the climate that we're given.
“We're happy with the colour of the pitch at the moment, we don't want it to not have any green in it three days out from the Test.
“We'll be able to take that colour out of it over the next couple of days.
“Hopefully, we see a little bit of sun, which will help draw the moisture out.
“Look, we're hoping for a nice green tinge on Day 1 so the ball can get some good carry, but a nice and even surface.
“We're looking like we've got good weather for the five days, and my gut feeling is that we will see some good batting.”
Looking back at the Boxing Day Test wicket, Lewis believes MCG curator Matt Page did the best he could, given the conditions and climate leading up to the Test.
All he’s focusing on now, though, is producing conditions that allow the players’ skill to decide the result.
“I spoke to Pagey a few times last week. The guys are doing the absolute best they can,” Lewis said.
“Pagey is probably one of the best curators in Australia, if not the world.
“It's not as if we go out to produce a wicket that it's over in a few days. It’s just a shame.
“All we can do now is just produce something as even as possible, so it can be decided by the players.”
The fifth and final Test between Australia and England begins at the SCG on January 4. Listen to every ball LIVE on SEN - your home of cricket.
Photo: @beastieboy07 on X
