Ashes 2025-26: Gabba curator reveals how pitch will behave for pink-ball Test

Gabba’s curator Dave Sandurski has revealed how the pitch for the upcoming Ashes Test will play out. The second Test of the five-match series is scheduled to get underway from December 4.

Sandurski stated that the scorching conditions will take away moisture from the surface sooner than expected. He also said that the deck will be a balanced one and will favour batting or bowling equally.

“Gaining an extra day to get it close to that 10-day [preparation] period makes life just that little bit more comfortable. All indications are there is a bit of heat around. The wicket will dry out a lot quicker so you’ve got to make sure you keep enough moisture in it to last five days. We try and make our wickets pretty much the same for four and five-day cricket. The aim is to provide a wicket where all players get a chance to perform their skills so hopefully all facets of the game come into the match,” stated Sandurski, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Xavier Bartlett, who was involved in a pink-ball Sheffield Shield fixture for Queensland at the Gabba recently, predicted the wicket on which the Ashes to be played as a “really good cricket wicket”.

“Just on twilight, the pink ball talks a little bit more and the game goes through massive ebbs and flows. You see wickets falling in clumps. You’ve got to stay in it and make the most of that middle session. If the Test wicket is like the one we just played on, it will be a really good cricket wicket. We got a result in three days but when you bat well, you get rewarded and if you bowl well, it’s the same,” added Bartlett.

Matt Renshaw, who was one of the standout performers in the same game as mentioned above, remarked that the pitch might behave similar to how it had played in the last pink-ball Test the Gabba hosted in January 2024.

“While batting, it feels like you can get a ball with your name on it at some point, but I think it will be a pretty similar wicket to what we have normally had at the Gabba. We saw the pink-ball Test a few years ago when West Indies were touring and it swung around at times and was also nice for batting,” mentioned Renshaw.

Australia have taken a lead by winning the first Test by eight wickets in Perth. The deck at the Perth Stadium was highly conducive for pacers, with the match concluding within just two days.