MITCHELL JOHNSON: Flat Ashes pitches will play into England’s hands

The first Test of the summer always sets the tone. This year, it starts at Optus Stadium and the talk has already begun about how that pitch should play.

Mitchell Starc’s recent comments about wanting wickets with character hit the nail on the head. While we don’t want to see two and three-day Test matches, that’s up to the players’ respective skills to decide.

You can sense it from both sides. Australia want to make a statement, and England believe they can match fire with fire.

Starc doesn’t want pitches prepared with the aim of lasting five days, but rather to reflect their natural identity. If we reflect on the Sheffield Shield matches this season, we may see that.

It’s not the curator’s job to make a Test match drag out. It’s the players’ job to make it last that long. The best Tests, the ones we still talk about years later, have some life in the wicket to enable a battle between bat and ball.

Some movement and bounce for the fast bowlers early to test the batsmen, before flattening out to be good to bat on and then showing some wear and tear later in the match to bring bowlers back into it with spin and variable bounce. A pitch evolving across the match to provide something for everyone is what separates a good wicket from a flat one.

The Optus Stadium curator has said he wants it to be entertaining, the kind of wicket that “makes bowlers earn their rewards” but gives batters value for good shots. That’s the right intent.

Perth needs to stay true to its heritage. We grew up with the WACA Ground, a surface that frightened some and thrilled others. It was the quickest deck in the world, and it gave you a real contest. You had to trust your technique, your courage, and your temperament.

If the new Burswood stadium produces something close to that, it immediately puts Australia in a strong position to start the series on their terms. There’s no hiding place for batters when the ball is chest-high and the wicket’s got carry.

And for Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood – should he be fit to take his place - and Scott Boland, that’s where their strengths combine. If the surface is lively, they can attack with intent rather than contain.

The challenge is that England comes here with a new confidence. You can hear what they are saying in the press. Even one of our own in former spinner Steve O’Keefe has tipped England to win the series. It’s a bold prediction, but not an unthoughtful one.

This is probably England’s best chance since 2010/11, when they came here with a plan and executed it. The difference now is their Bazball style, which will be fascinating to see on our pitches.

If the wickets through the summer stay true to their individual characters - Perth with pace and bounce, Brissy’s humidity and swing and seam movement, Adelaide’s spin and reverse swing, Melbourne with its traditional grind, and Sydney offering a green tinge early and then spin - then we’ll see real Test cricket.

That’s what I want to see. Not doctoring. Not sameness. Just authenticity.

What would worry me, though, is if we see wickets that are overly flat and lifeless. Because that’s where England’s ultra-aggressive approach could play into their hands, when there’s no bounce, no spin, and no deterioration and they can just throw the bat without consequence. But if the ball’s doing something, if there’s bite, bounce, or reverse swing later in the game, that’s where Test match craft wins out.

People talk about Bazball bringing excitement, but the best excitement in cricket comes from balance, when bat and ball both have a say on the grind of each day. The WACA Ground taught us that every run meant something. That’s what Perth needs to deliver again.

So as the series begins, all eyes will be on that Optus Stadium pitch. Not just because it’s the opener, but because it sets the tone for the whole summer.

If it’s fast and true, Australia can make their statement early. If it’s flat, England will fancy their chances of batting fast and dictating the tempo, posting big scores quickly and then backing their bowling unit.

Either way, the wicket will tell us plenty — not just about how this series starts, but about where Test cricket in Australia is heading.