The last time England played a Test match during daytime hours at Adelaide Oval was in 2013. The ground was a building site and Mitchell Johnson was the wrecking ball, a seven-wicket spree confirming the panic he induced during the first Test in Brisbane was no one-off.
Not only were England’s Ashes hopes lamented by the visiting media that year, but also the ground of old. Gone were the terracotta roofs that invoked the sepia world of Don Bradman and in their place there were the early signs of what was to become a 53,000-capacity multi-purpose venue with a drop-in pitch.
But heritage listing for the scoreboard that dates back to 1911 meant part of the grass hill remained untouched. The Moreton Bay fig trees still stand there, while original ivy-covered arches were also incorporated into the new pavilion. Though unquestionably modern, gaps between the stands and the stylings helps it retain the feel of a cricket ground.
“The old ground was iconic,” says Greg Blewett, a hometown hero here 30 years ago thanks to a century on Test debut against England. “A lot of people feared what it might become. There was a big pushback at the time. But you have to keep moving forward.
“I appeared in a couple of adverts that made the case for progress to the members and we managed to get the vote through. Having lived here all my life, 54 years, I can honestly say I can’t remember something that has transformed our city more than the new Adelaide Oval.”
After a couple of one-sided Ashes day-nighters here in 2017 and 2021 – and the latest pink-ball defeat for England in Brisbane last week – the return to traditional timings for the third Test is welcome. Salmon skies at dusk do make for a stunning backdrop, but the ground risked becoming typecast.
“It’s mixed,” says Blewett of local opinions on the topic. “People do genuinely love the day-nighters here, but I know a lot of older members who are happy we have another day game. You would hate for it to be locked in.”
England’s last daytime victory here came in 2010, when Andrew Strauss and his side claimed the first of three thumping innings victories in that series. Before then was the fourth Test in 1995, when a patched up side down to five fit batters and already 2-0 down upset the odds to win by 106 runs.
“I caught some highlights the other day,” says Blewett. “I’d missed my century – and yeah, that was very cool – but I watched the chase. Devon Malcolm bowled some serious pace. He got Mark Taylor with a good short one and cleaned up Steve Waugh for a duck with an absolute jaffa. It does go to show that an under-siege England team doesn’t necessarily have to fold.”
Blewett’s unbeaten 102 made him the first South Australian to score a century at Adelaide Oval since Greg Chappell in 1982. Travis Head is the local favourite these days, with three Test centuries at the ground and his moustachioed face seen on a fair few T-shirts in the city this past week.
“He is a ripping South Aussie,” says Blewett. “Almost part of a tradition of aggressive left-hander’s here, like Darren Lehmann or David Hookes. His success has almost come from accepting his imperfections. He stopped worrying what others were thinking and, at 31, he is now in that sweet spot.”
A feature of England’s slump to 2-0 down has been ignoring the widely known dangers of driving on the up at Perth and Brisbane. The question of potential Adelaide pitfalls is asked. “The past 10 years of having drop-in pitches has seen less carry,” says Blewett. “That will be a big change from the first two Tests. But there is nibble at times, possibly a touch like in England, so playing late will be the key.
“As time goes on, the tactics may become more stump-to-stump before spin really comes into the game. But if there’s a ground in Australia where England’s style could hold up, it will be Adelaide.”
