Melbourne Cricket Ground curator hopeful of fair pitch for Australia-Pakistan Boxing Day Test

Melbourne: Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) curator Cameron Hodgkins has said that he is hopeful about striking the right balance between bat and ball for the Boxing Day Test between Australia and Pakistan starting here on Saturday.

Hodgkins also said that he was pleased with the preparations for the Test match, and is hoping that the pitch would not be too batsman-friendly, which has been the nature in matches at the "G" so far this season.

He said that he would prefer to prepare a similar wicket to the one from last year's Test between Australia and South Africa, where the batsmen from both sides scored well, but they also had to combat some reverse swing.

"So far there's been good pace and carry and the good bowlers are getting wickets. In the last game there was plenty of grass, but the only ingredient missing was there wasn't much nibble," The Herald Sun quoted Hodgkins, as saying.

"We'd always like a bit of sideways movement, but it's hard to get and a fine line between what's right and what's too much, so it's easier to be conservative. If we can get one similar to last year I'd be pretty happy," he added.

The MCG wickets have played well so far this season, although the bat easily dominated in most of the recent first-class matches.

Hodgkins also predicted tough work for spin bowlers, saying: "Traditionally there's not any extra turn, although good bowlers take wickets. We're not known as a turning wicket, it's more one for the quicks."