Ashes 2021-22: Gabba pitch turns out to be lush green five days before first Test

The much-awaited Ashes between England and Australia is set to commence on December 8 at The Gabba. But Brisbane has witnessed a lot of rain in the last few days which has also disrupted training schedules of both teams. The players have had to train indoors right through with even England skipper Joe Root admitting that the preparations for the marquee series haven’t been ideal.

The situation is so bad in Brisbane that the forecast is also for a likely washout. However, things changed a little bit on Friday (December 3) as the groundsmen finally got a chance to remove the covers from the pitch. Roller was also used to settle it down. And the first pictures of the pitch are nothing but scary for the batters.

Having remained under the covers for a long time, there is a lot of grass on the pitch five days before the first Test match. Most probably, the grass will be cut off in the lead up to the Test but a lot will depend on how much it rains in the next few days.

The picture of the surface at The Gabba was posted by a news.com.au reporter Nic Savage (Twitter handle name) on Twitter.

Here’s the look of the pitch:

The Gabba deck, five days out from the first Ashes Test.#Ashes

📸 @craddock_cmail pic.twitter.com/8N4NjzTpuf

— Nic Savage (@nic_savage1) December 3, 2021

England and Australia have top-class swing bowlers

In case, the pitch remains under the covers for more time, the ball is likely to swing a lot during the Test match. Looking at the first pictures, the bowlers’ eyes must have lit up. Both England and Australia have some terrific bowlers who can exploit the helpful conditions superbly. James Anderson and Stuart Broad will especially love these conditions as can make the ball talk all the time back at home.

Even Australia have the likes of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood who can run through the opposition line-up with the new ball. And if the pitch is helpful, the duo becomes even more dangerous. However, for all that to happen, the rain has to subside on time for the first Test in Brisbane to get underway on December 8. As of now, things are looking to grim with forecast not being good.