Extreme weather test for Adelaide pitch

The threat of an early summer deluge has fast-tracked preparation of the pitch for the second Magellan Ashes Test as the Adelaide Oval ground staff look to replicate the surface produced for last year's day-night match against South Africa.

Having baked beneath two days of mid-30s heat, Adelaide is expected to cop up to 40 millimetres of rain tonight and into Friday morning with showers and cool temperatures then predicted to be a feature of the first few days of the Test that gets underway on Saturday.

Adding to the weather-related complexities that require the pitch be kept sufficiently moist to prevent it drying out during the late spring hot spell but not so damp that it stays wet beneath the covers once the rain arrives, have been the challenges presented by the venue's other commitments.

An "international rules" match between Australia and Ireland's domestic football codes meant the initial work on the Test pitch was conducted off-site until it was dropped into the Adelaide Oval's centre wicket block little more than a fortnight ago.

And with a JLT Sheffield Shield match featuring South Australia and Tasmania staged at the ground last week, head curator Damian Hough and his team had to begin their final preparation last Wednesday knowing that access would be limited during playing hours.

And in the knowledge that wet weather loomed as deadline also approached.

"I spoke to the weather bureau, they're talking 20-40 millimetres (of rain) from this arvo through until mid-morning tomorrow," Hough said as Adelaide sweltered this afternoon.

"Hopefully if we get a few hours of (fine weather to allow the) covers off tomorrow, we'll be fine.

"We're just trying to produce a similar pitch to last year's South Africa Test match.

"If we get somewhere close to that we'll be pretty happy."

Last year's day-night Test, the second to be staged at the Adelaide Oval, was dominated by seam bowlers even though Hough reduced the level of live grass on his pitch by around 2mm compared to the track he prepared for the inaugural pink-ball fixture against New Zealand in 2015.

Initially, that extra cushion of grass was enlisted to help preserve the lacquered pink ball which was shown to lose its sheen and hardness prematurely on more abrasive surfaces.

But modifications made to the Kookaburra ball in the past year or so has meant the grass cover has been trimmed, although the fact that seam bowlers have continued to enjoy the extra movement off the pitch cannot be simply attributed to the height at which cutting blades are fixed.

"Don't get caught up on the height of cut," Hough told reporters today.

"I said that to (New South Wales and Australia captain) Steve Smith and Travis Head (South Australia) when there was a Shield game here (last month).

"A few years ago that we were at eight (millimetres) and then we moved to six mill – we were six mill for the World Cup quarter-final (between Australia and Pakistan in 2015).

"To put it into context it's not just about the height of cut. It's how thatchy and coarse the grass is, it's how much you bury the grass, it's how you top-dress, there's so many other factors that come into it.

"But we're pretty similar to last year, so it's about a six mill cut."

While Hough acknowledges the weather is a factor in pitch preparation that lies beyond his control, the behaviour of the pink ball – which has been known to swing more pronouncedly in the twilight and evening sessions than during the day – represents another variable.

In the SA-NSW Shield match earlier this season, in which Mitchell Starc returned career-best figures of 8-79, the ball began to exhibit signs of reverse swing despite the additional grass on the pitch, the absence of any other pitches cut into the wicket block, and an outfield kept lush for the upcoming hybrid football game.

Hough conceded he was surprised to see Starc and his fellow Blues quick Pat Cummins generate reverse swing in that Shield game, but SA's strike bowler Chadd Sayers claimed it was attributable to the care the NSW players took to preserve the state of the ball.

Sayers was included in Australia's 13-man Test squad for the first two matches of the Magellan Ashes largely on the strength of his performances at the Adelaide Oval, and especially with the pink ball.

But after Australia's four-man attack (including spinner Nathan Lyon) twice rolled over England at the Gabba to secure a 10-wicket win in the series opener, the South Australian who is yet to play for his country concedes he's likely to be once more deemed surplus to requirements.

"I assume if the big three quicks (Starc, Cummins and Josh Hazlewood) are fit then they'll get the nod," Sayers said today.

"All I can do is train the house down and perform in Shield cricket, and I think I've done that over the past two or three years."

An unashamed admirer of England's bowling spearhead and all-time leading wicket-taker James Anderson, Sayers nominated the veteran right-hander as the bowler most likely to trouble Australia's batters with the pink ball.

And he added that, unlike at the Gabba where Australia's quicks employed a short-pitched bowling strategy on a benign surface to crack open an obdurate England middle-order, the secret to bowling at the Adelaide Oval was to pitch up and allow the conditions to work their magic.

"It's just about challenging the batsman's defence," Sayers said.

"Batsmen hate the swinging ball so if you can pitch it up and challenge their defence 100 per cent of the time than they've got to make the right decisions.

"And if they don't, they're out so that's the key here."

"We know the dangers of David Warner at the top as well, so we've got to keep working hard at getting those guys out because we know how pivotal they are in their line-up."

2017-18 International Fixtures

Magellan Ashes Series

Australia Test squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Jackson Bird, Chadd Sayers.

England Test squad: Joe Root (c), James Anderson (vc), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Gary Ballance, Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook, Mason Crane, Tom Curran, Ben Foakes, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ben Stokes, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Chris Woakes.

First Test Australia won by 10 wickets. Scorecard

Second Test Adelaide Oval, December 2-6 (Day-Night). Tickets

Third Test WACA Ground, December 14-18. Tickets

Fourth Test MCG, December 26-30. Tickets

Fifth Test SCG, January 4-8 (Pink Test). Tickets

Gillette ODI Series v England

First ODI MCG, January 14. Tickets

Second ODI Gabba, January 19. Tickets

Third ODI SCG, January 21. Tickets

Fourth ODI Adelaide Oval, January 26. Tickets

Fifth ODI Perth Stadium, January 28. Tickets

Prime Minister's XI

PM's XI v England Manuka Oval, February 2. Tickets

Gillette T20 trans-Tasman Tri-Series

First T20I Australia v NZ, SCG, February 3. Tickets

Second T20I – Australia v England, Blundstone Arena, February 7. Tickets

Third T20I – Australia v England, MCG, February 10. Tickets

Fourth T20I – NZ v England, Wellington, February 14

Fifth T20I – NZ v Australia, Eden Park, February 16

Sixth T20I – NZ v England, Seddon Park, February 18

Final – TBC, Eden Park, February 21