All eyes are on the green tinges of the MCG pitch – 10mm of grass – and bowler Michael Neser says the quicks will need to be adaptable.
England won the toss and elected to bowl.
“Definitely a lot more grass than what I’ve seen in the other Test matches. But you can’t judge a wicket until both teams have bowled on it,” Neser told Fox Cricket this morning.
“It might nip around, but I guess you have got to be quick in adjusting on your lengths … you definitely have to search for that full length and finding the edge.”
It is Neser’s fourth Test, but first with a red ball, having played two pink ball Tests in Adelaide and one pink ball Test in Brisbane.
The Queenslander said he found out about his selection on Christmas Day after stepping out of a hotel lift and bumping into selector Tony Dodemaide.
“I was going down to the lobby, and the selected Dodds bumped into me and pulled me aside. And I’m like, ‘where’s this going to go’? And, fortunately enough, it was a great Christmas present,” Neser said.
He also said he had adjusted to keeper Alex Carey standing up at the stumps to keep the English batsmen back in their crease.
“Years back, I hated it being a fast bowler. I thought I can’t bowl with a keeper up,” he said.
“And then Uzi (Usman Khawaja) pulled me aside and told me to take my ego out of it … it just brings in more modes of dismissal for me.”
