The MCG pitch will have a bit to offer for batsmen and bowlers alike on Boxing Day but curator David Sandurski admits the captain who wins the toss will probably want to bat first.
Sandurski said that there should be some movement for bowlers in the first session on day one of the second Test between Australia and the Windies, with the wicket flattening out before hopefully taking some spin late in the match.
The pitch is the same one used for last year's Boxing Day Test against India that went for five days and resulted in a draw.
"The wicket is tracking exactly the same as last year's match against India," Sandurski said on Wednesday.
"If anything we're probably a little bit ahead of schedule but so far so good. I think you've got to have a think about it, but usually you'd bat first."
Thunderstorms are forecast for Melbourne on Boxing Day morning but Sandurski is confident the pitch won't be significantly affected if it spends a few hours under the covers.
The last Sheffield Shield match at the MCG was played on a green pitch that gave the bowlers plenty of assistance and proved a nightmare for batsmen, with South Australia defeating Victoria with over a day to spare.
But Sandurski said the Test pitch wouldn't be as lively.
"This one's a little more on the thinner side than that," he said, referring to the grass coverage.
"They'll still be cut at the same height but the actual thickness of the grass is a lot thinner this time around.
"Also, with that (Shield) one the weather was a bit overcast and cloudy and the humidity was up. So it basically kept it as a day one first session wicket for the whole (first) day.
"When the sun finally came out South Australia chased those runs pretty easily."
