Mitchell Starc has conceded that Australia's players are unhappy at the decision to move the opening Ashes Test from its traditional home at the Gabba to Perth Stadium. The Brisbane venue, nicknamed “the Gabbatoir” because of its reputation as a graveyard for touring sides, has seen England win just two of their last 20 matches there since 1946.
Asked whether Australia could expect a similar advantage at the new venue, Starc said: “We'll find out in a week, won't we? They don't listen to the players, we would have liked to start in Brisbane, too.” England's Gus Atkinson, a first-time Ashes tourist, acknowledged the shift may benefit his side, saying: “There are no scars for me… history would say it's probably a good thing we're not starting at the Gabba.”
Perth Stadium chief curator Isaac McDonald defended the decision, citing the city's relative proximity to England and a direct flight from the UK. “It makes sense that it is the first one,” he said, adding that the extra hype around hosting the opening Ashes Test is “pretty cool”. McDonald noted that many UK travellers are already in town for the match.
The first Test begins less than three weeks after Perth Stadium hosted a Metallica concert, held just days after the drop-in wicket had been installed. McDonald said the wicket came through unscathed and the timing allowed enough moisture to be restored. Australia have won four of their five Tests at the venue, which replaced the Waca after the 2017 Ashes, with the only defeat coming against India last year when 17 wickets fell on a chaotic first day.
Starc expressed a fondness for the old Waca, citing the cooling Fremantle Doctor breeze, and noted the variety of pitches seen at Perth Stadium. “There's been a fair bit made about the colour of it, that it's going to be a green mamba – it's all good and well to look at the wicket, but until both teams have played on it we're not really sure what it's going to do.”
McDonald has moved his preparations forward 24 hours this year to avoid a repeat of last year's first-day chaos. He said the same drop-in pitch has been retained because “it just seems to have the best characteristics”, and insisted he has received “absolutely no directives from anyone ever” over pitch preparation. Last year's surface was rated “very good” by the International Cricket Council.
