Fears of a completely washed out first Test at the Gabba are set to lead the groundstaff to take drastic measures in an attempt to get a pitch up.
Brisbane has been smashed with unprecedented November rain fall over the past few weeks, as most of Australia's east coast has.
Already the Queensland weather has prevented Australia and England from playing their own warm-up games ahead of the Ashes, with England's first match at Redlands last week seeing just 29 overs bowled across three days, while Australia's match against Australia A - scheduled to start on Wednesday this week - was abandoned with the hope of having an intra-squad practice session at centre wicket on Friday.
It's believed England's second match against the England Lions has also been abandoned.
That said, the Gabba has world class drainage and will be hopeful of seeing some cricket when the Ashes commence on December 8.
That doesn't mean the groundstaff aren't concerned though. Development of a pitch takes dry weather, and The Daily Telegraph are reporting that the groundstaff are prepared to work around the clock, as well as hire a marquee in an event to let the pitch be developed even while the weather isn't showing signs of improvement.
Crucially, the forecast currently has some dry weather in the lead-up to the game, which should allow the groundstaff to put up a strong wicket for the opening Test of the summer at a ground which has historically been a fortress to open the summer for Australia, although that wasn't the case against India last time around.
Head curator Dave Sandurski said it would take four clear days to get a reasonable wicket up - something he may not be afforded.
“It is a bit of a tricky one,’’ Sandurski admitted.
“If you start too early you can overcook it and if you start it too late you might have nothing up at all.
“You need a minimum of four days with two thirds of a day rolling to get a reasonable wicket up.
“I spoke to the senior forecaster the other day and he said we will have a bit better weather for the next three or four days so we will work around the clock for that time and start a day earlier that we normally would just to make up for any lost time.
“It (hiring a marquee) is something that has not been done here before. Fingers crossed we don’t have to go that way.
“That would be our last resort – but if that is what we have to do then that’s what we have to do. You can’t stop mother nature all the time. It does not matter how much rolling you do, you still need the wind and the sun to dry it out.’’
