'PITCH WILL BE FIT FOR BIG SHOW'

THE man in charge of preparing the pitch for the first Ashes Test insists Metallica’s gig at Optus Stadium will not stop him delivering a fitting surface for the big occasion.

- RORY DOLLARD

On November 1, the heavy metal band brought their M72 world tour to the venue, with 60,000 rock fans piling in to see them, less than three weeks before the first Test of a hotly-anticipated series.

“The stadium is hosting Ashes cricket for the first time and, unlike the city's famous WACA ground, uses ‘drop-in’ pitches that are grown offsite before being slotted into the square.