The first Test of the summer always sets the tone. This year, it starts at Optus Stadium and the talk has already begun about how that pitch should play.

Mitchell Starc’s recent comments about wanting wickets with character hit the nail on the head. While we don’t want to see two and three-day Test matches, that’s up to the players’ respective skills to decide.

You can sense it from both sides. Australia want to make a statement, and England believe they can match fire with fire.

Starc doesn’t want pitches prepared with the aim of lasting five days, but rather to reflect their natural identity. If we reflect on the Sheffield Shield matches this season, we may see that.

It’s not the curator’s job to make a Test match drag out. It’s the players’ job to make it last that long. The best Te

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