The WACA pitch might have lost some of its colour during the week but retained a strong green tinge on match eve. However, the curator Cameron Sutherland said it was not necessarily a strong indicator that the ball would seam wildly, as the colour was partly due to a different grass being used.
"We were the first ones in Australia to trial this new grass," Sutherland said. "It's worked wonders for us. It's a high fibre content in the leaves, so it just holds its colour for longer. It's also very fine leaf, it's almost like a carpet, so it doesn't seam too much. In Shield cricket, I know we've been referred to having green seamers or green-top Shield wickets, but they haven't seamed around much at all."
Sutherland said whether the teams chose four fast men or a spinner, there would be plenty in the pitch for all the bowlers. "You'll definitely get the bounce and you might get a bit of turn," he said. "There's enough grass there to get a bit of purchase."