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Second Test of the summer starts Friday

Australia will take on India in the second Test of the summer, starting Friday at Perth Stadium.

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It will be the first International Test held at the venue, as Perth Stadium prepares to host the second Test of the summer.
The Aussies will again take on India, after narrowly missing out in Adelaide as India claimed the first Test by 32 runs.

A strong performance from the Australian tail kept hopes alive on day five, but it wasn’t enough with Ravi Ashwin dismissing Josh Hazlewood to send the Aussies all out for 291. Shaun Marsh top scored for Australia in the second innings with 60, while Travis Head managed 72 in the first innings. Cheteshwar Pujara was India’s best-performed batsman, managing a 123 and 71, while Captain Virat Kohli failed to fire. Nathan Lyon was Australia’s standout bowler, taking six wickets in the second innings.

Perth Stadium will be hosting its first International Test as the two sides go into battle, with curator Brett Sipthorpe giving a rundown on the pitch earlier in the week. Sipthorpe has described it as a “fiery, bouncy pitch.”


Aussies in action

“I would think you would probably want to (bowl first). We’d think they probably would. At the moment the forecast is looking like low 30s right through the game, so if there’s anything in it, it’s going to be early. But it may quicken up on day two as it dries out a little bit and gets a bit harder too,” Sipthorpe said.

The pace and bounce of the pitch are likely to present trouble for batsmen. Sipthorpe, the WA Cricket Association’s head curator, claims his pitch is perfectly set up for an exciting contest, even if that means it doesn’t make the full five days.

The Australian top order will be looking to put on a much-improved display in Perth, with Aaron Finch, Marcus Harris, Usman Khawaja, and Peter Handscomb all failing to perform in either innings.

The brand new Perth Stadium is the perfect venue to watch Test cricket this summer, with the weather and state of the pitch setting up an exciting, fast-paced and high energy clash.

We will wait and see whether Australia make any changes to their side, with the addition of another pace option on the Perth wicket a serious consideration.

Tickets to the second Test, starting Friday 14 December, can be found at Ticketmaster.com.au.