Cricket Australia averts pitch battle
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CRICKET Australia has averted a potentially messy MCG showdown between cricket and Australian football by scheduling a change in date for the Pura Cup final.
The original Pura Cup fixture had the final finishing on March 20, the day of the AFL round one Carlton-Richmond clash.
Victoria are in an excellent position to host the final, sitting atop the table with New South Wales, but Cricket Australia has brought forward the starting date of the five-day final to Saturday, March 15, which gives the MCG one day to transform from cricket arena to football stadium.
Should Victoria host the final, the MCG ground staff could still have as few as 25 hours to remove the drop-in square of pitches and soften the outfield for football.
But MCC curator Tony Ware said he was certain the stadium would cope with the rapid overhaul of its playing surface.
"We have to plan that the cricket will go until 6pm or 6.30pm on March 19. We have got the capability to take all the wickets out and get it done overnight and it will be a footy field the next day," Ware said.
"There are plenty of things to do but we can get it done overnight."