Former Australian Test cricketers Ed Cowan and Trent Copeland have praised the work done by the SCG’s groundstaff and curators proceeding the third men’s ODI between Australia and India on October 25. 

Head curator Adam Lewis and the dedicated grounds team produced a world-class pitch and pristine outfield for the final ODI, which saw the Indian team - led by legends Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli with the bat - win by nine wickets to close out the series.

Speaking on the ABC’s The Grandstand Cricket Podcast on Monday October 27, the pair discussed how the characteristics of the SCG (pictured in AFL mode) had changed in recent years and was as impressive as it’s ever been after the conclusion of the AFL season. 

Cowan and Copeland - who both played the majority of their respective first-class careers for New South Wales - and know the ground, pitch and facility inside-and-out, featured 21 times at Test level for Australia between them.

“I loved that the wicket had pace and bounce in it…the SCG was absolutely immaculate,” Cowan said. “You and I both think of the SCG as that traditional spinners wicket which breaks up but if you go through the backlogs of notes that the groundskeeper has kept for more than a century, in this incredible book they’ve got, traditionally it was a hard and fast wicket and it wasn’t until the 80s that we remember the New South Wales teams playing three spinners. 

“They’ve relayed the square and are trying to grow a different version of the Santa Ana grass and it’s taken a few years for those roots to grow properly and I’m loving what I’m seeing. For a wicket that’s copped some criticism it feels like it’s back to its best.”

Copeland, who took 407 first-class wickets and spent more than a decade bowling for New South Wales, agreed that the SCG was in “pristine condition”.

“I was out in the middle prior to the match and looking at the surface, and not just the pitch but the outfield, I’ve never seen it in such pristine condition in October for a cricket summer,” he said. The change in the grass on the square as well. I’m no curator but it’s the first time they’ve had the proper crack at getting the square how they want it to be.

“It’s a shame that eventually it won’t have the same characteristics right to the core of the old SCG, the break-up (and) the other wickets on the square being abrasive for reverse swing but I said exactly the same thing when I was out there, I saw a rock hard surface, a live grass which provided (Indian keeper) KL Rahul in the first 10 overs standing on the circle catching the ball at head height.

“That to me is great for the bowlers in the first 10 overs with the lateral movement but after that the batters could trust the surface and hit through the line.”

The SCG will host two more international fixtures this summer, the fifth men’s Ashes Test between Australia and England from January 4-8, 2026 and a women’s Twenty20 against India on February 15 alongside the venue’s annual Sheffield Shield and Big Bash League commitments. 

The ABC's Grandstand Cricket Podcast is available across all podcast platforms.

Story by Nick Creely