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Drop-ins a sign of the times: Haddin

3 minute read

Former NSW captain and Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin will understand if the SCG Trust opts to move to a drop-in wicket at the ground.

BRAD HADDIN Head Coach of CA XI looks on during the One Day Tour Match between the Cricket Australia XI and England at Drummoyne Oval in Sydney, Australia.
BRAD HADDIN Head Coach of CA XI looks on during the One Day Tour Match between the Cricket Australia XI and England at Drummoyne Oval in Sydney, Australia. Picture: Jason McCawley/Getty Images

Brad Haddin concedes the possibility of a drop-in wicket at the SCG is a sign of the times and believes traditional characteristics of the pitch may not be lost.

The SCG Trust confirmed earlier this week they would consider drop-in pitches at the venue at the request of the AFL.

Such a move would see the change for the first time since the ground began hosting Tests in 1882, with the Sydney venue and the Gabba the only two major Australian Test grounds not to have switched.

Cricket NSW has already come out in opposition of the proposal, with the state governing body saying they have the support of Justin Langer and the Australian team.

Haddin, a former NSW captain and Australia wicketkeeper, does not confess to be an expert on the topic but says the suggestion of a drop-in wicket is only a reality of modern sport.

"It's conversation all around the country at the moment isn't it?" Haddin said.

"There are a lot of drop-in wickets around the country ... You'd like to keep the traditions of the SCG but it's a modern world.

"We've seen more (drop-in pitches) over the last few years, that's where the game is going on. AFL is obviously a huge game."

In a submission presented by Cricket NSW to the Trust, they argued a drop-in wicket would be lifeless and produce "boring" cricket.

They also pointed to the "poor" rating given to the MCG for the Boxing Day Ashes Test in 2017, and the fact drop-in wickets do not deteriorate.

Six of the past seven Sheffield Shield games played at the MCG have resulted in a draw.

But Haddin said the Adelaide Oval wicket was proof it could work.

"Adelaide Oval is a great cricket wicket. Technology has come a long way and if they can keep the characteristics of the game," Haddin said.

"It's happening a lot more and more these days and the technology available these days to keep the characteristics of the SCG are there.

"If it happens I'm sure they'll do the right thing for the game."

Earlier this year it was claimed it would not be logistically possible to implement a drop-in wicket under the ground's current configuration.

There is no timeframe for a decision to be made on the matter, but Cricket NSW chief executive Lee Germon is hopeful the Trust will not make the move.

"I'm confident the Trust won't go down the path of drop-in pitches if they go through the process, weigh it all up and see the risk of the SCG losing its premier status as a cricket ground," he told AAP.

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