Hope SCG doesn't move to drop-in wickets, says Nathan Lyon
Nathan Lyon fears that the SCG might shift to the trend of drop-in pitches, something that's been adopted by a lot of other Australian grounds. Earlier this week, a Shield match had to be moved out of the SCG due to pitch damage caused by Sydney Roosters Rugby League Team who trained at the stadium.
A latest clash of sporting codes has not only resulted in the shifting of a Sheffield Shield clash between Tasmania and New South Wales but has also lead to the shifting of the Marsh cup meeting between the two sides from the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground.
While the Shield clash was shifted to Drummoyne Oval, the Marsh Cup meeting will now be held at the North Sydney Oval. The decision was taken keeping in mind the state of the wicket which could deteriorate significantly ahead of the T20 match to be held there.
Although the damage has been blamed on the Sydney Roosters training session in early October in the lead up to NRL grand final, the incident has also resurfaced the debate about the use of cricket grounds for other sports.
Australian spinner Nathan Lyon, who has played just three Sheffield Shield matches at the SCG through his career, hopes the ground does not go the way of the MCG and Adelaide, which have had problems with its pitches in recent years, by using drop-in surfaces.
"I really hope it doesn't go to drop-in. I really think the characteristics of a SCG pitch is part of our cricket history here," Lyon said ahead of his first appearance of the season. "It's called the Sydney Cricket Ground so I personally believe we should keep the wickets the same, I don't really want drop-ins," ESPN Cricinfo quoted Lyon as saying.
In April this year, John Longmire, the coach of the Sydney Swans Australia Rules Football team who play at the SCG, urged to consider drop-in surfaces and now with all the fiasco happening around the wicket, his demand seems correct.
"With a wicket base on the ground, it's something we've always been mindful of, obviously we'd support a drop in wicket if that was part of the discussion. It's certainly very important to discuss it, it's a 12 months a year venue," he said.
"It gets highlighted now because there's more traffic here, and every weekend there's a game where that hasn't been the case in the past. Ideally, the winter codes would appreciate having just the same turf all over the ground. We understand we've got compromises. They play a lot of cricket here," he added.
The SCG trust considered his demands as they formed a committee to consider drop-in wickets in July. But Cricket NSW, which shares Lyon’s vision, opposed any such move saying, "The move to a drop-in wicket with lifeless uniformity will create the risk of boring cricket.”
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