ASHES PREVIEW
SCRATCHING BENEATH THE SURFACE
Damien Fleming, the former Australian Test seamer who will be covering the forthcoming series as a commentator for the Seven Network and SEN Radio, gives the inside scoop on what we can expect from the five venues
Optus Stadium, Perth First Test, November 21
Fleming says: “It’s a great new stadium. There’s not a bad seat. There were worries that it wouldn’t have the WACA characteristics, but it does. It’s fast and bouncy. You won’t notice many differences with the pitch itself but the outfield can be a bit thicker because it’s more of a football stadium, so the ball doesn’t run like it did at the WACA, where if it got through the infield you were collecting it from the pickets. You can expect more twos and threes here, so running between the wickets will be really important.”
Pub trivia: England haven’t won a men’s Test match in the city of Perth since 1978, when a 21-year-old David Gower made his second Test ton. England’s record in Perth since then reads: W0 D2 L9