Magazine - Adelaide Oval not so Picturesque

By Editor in Cricket on 1st Dec 2009 6:00

West Indian players and television viewers looking forward to seeing one of the most picturesque Test match grounds in the world are in for a shock.

Adelaide Oval's western side is gone.  The Edwin Smith, George Giffen and Mostyn Evans Stands that composed the traditional members' and players' wing at the oval have been dismantled to make way for redevelopment, leaving a large hole in an oval landscape that had gone without major change for years.

The loss of the oval's western side has caused the members enclosure to be shifted, meaning it now spans from the southernmost of the two Chappell Stands to take in the Clem Hill mound in addition to the Sir Donald Bradman Stand.

Adelaide's famed precinct of members' marquees and drinking areas have also shifted to the opposite side of the oval, with a labyrinth of tents and caterers located in the south-eastern corner of the ground.

In a summer likely to be dogged by so-so attendances and unenchanting cricket, the oval's reduced capacity of 17,000 is unlikely to be too cramped, though tickets for the Australia Day limited overs match between Australia and Pakistan on January 26 are at a premium.

As for the surface, long-time ground manager Les Burdett can be trusted to prepare a pitch built to last five days even if the Caribbean batsmen don't in the second Test between Australia and the Windies starting on Friday.

Source & More: www.news.com.au

Read more articles in Cricket, by Editor or from December 2009.