Cummins reveals Australia's best cricket pitch

Gun fast bowler Pat Cummins believes the Adelaide Oval deck is the pinnacle in Australian cricket and says the Melbourne Cricket Ground pitch prepared for the Boxing Day Test measured up well.

Fears of another lifeless MCG wicket being rolled out for the second Test were allayed when the curators unveiled a healthy covering of grass, upon which Australia didn't exceed 200 runs in either innings and India made just 326 runs – respectable but not mammoth – in their first dig.

In every previous Boxing Day Test stretching back to the 2013-14 summer, at least one innings total of 443 runs or more had been registered, with the greatest of the lot Australia's 8-624 declared against Pakistan in the 2016-17 season.

Cummins praised Adelaide's wicket and welcomed the revived MCG pitch.

"To be honest, I think Adelaide Oval for years has been the absolute thing to measure other pitches by," Cummins said.

"I think that pitch has been brilliant, and I thought this (MCG) wicket was pretty good.

"I thought on day one and two there was a little bit in there for the quicks – a bit of sideways movement. On day three and four it slowed right up, but I guess that isn't too abnormal for a Test wicket, and then we obviously didn't get to day five to see if it would break up.

"I thought it was a pretty good wicket. There was a good contest at times between bat and ball and plenty of chances were created."

When Australia destroyed Pakistan by an innings and 18 runs in the 2016-17 Boxing Day Test, Pakistan's Azhar Ali made 205 not out, while Australia's Steve Smith (165 not out), David Warner (144), Usman Khawaja (97) and Mitchell Starc (84) also indulged in the glut of runs.

Edges often dropped short of the wicketkeeper and slips, there was virtually no variable bounce and batsmen had ample time to see the ball and hit the ball, such was the pace of the wicket.

But the only batsman who made a century in this year's Boxing Day Test was stand-in India captain Ajinkya Rahane, who compiled a knock of 112 which led to India legend Sunil Gavaskar describing it as "one of the most important hundreds in the history of Indian cricket".

The third Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series will be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground from next Thursday, before the Gabba hosts the final match of the summer between Australia and India.

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