Most of this Adelaide Oval pitch report comes back to two things: a hard drop-in pitch and short square boundaries. Together they make the ground good for batting. In the Big Bash League a first-innings score of around 170 is competitive, and when the side batting first made 180 to 199 in a full-length game, it won 10 times out of 12. Unlike at the SCG and the Gabba, setting a target has the better long-term BBL record here.
Bowlers still have chances. In Tests, the new ball and the pink ball under lights give seamers help, and Nathan Lyon has taken more Test wickets at Adelaide than anyone. In T20s, spinners who bowl tight have done well, as Rashid Khan's economy rate here shows.
Quick verdict
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Batting or bowling? | Good for batting, especially square of the wicket |
| Pace or spin? | New-ball and twilight seam in Tests; Lyon leads the Test wicket list; tight spin works in the BBL |
| Good BBL first-innings score | About 170 is competitive; 180–199 has usually been enough |
| Bat first or chase? | Batting first leads over BBL history (46 wins to 37); recent seasons are closer |
| Pink-ball record | Australia have won all eight day-night Tests here |
| 2026-27 Test | Australia v New Zealand, 17–21 December, a day Test |
Adelaide Oval at a glance
Adelaide Oval opened in the early 1870s and staged its first Test in December 1884. Its capacity is about 53,500, and it is run by the Adelaide Oval Stadium Management Authority, a joint venture of the South Australian Cricket Association and the SANFL. Cricket tenants are the Adelaide Strikers in the BBL and South Australia in the Sheffield Shield; the Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide play AFL there in winter.
Two features shape every match:
- A drop-in pitch. Adelaide has used drop-in pitches since the 2013 redevelopment. Damian Hough, head curator as of January 2024, aims for a hard, dry surface with a mat of grass that spinners can grip. That month he told cricket.com.au that the preparation is the same for red-ball and pink-ball Tests (read the curator's comments).
- The shape of the ground. The field is long and narrow, so the straight boundaries are long and the square boundaries short. In December 2025, AAP reported that the square boundaries were roughly 10 metres shorter than at the Gabba and the straight ones much longer. Batters who cut and pull get value, and bowlers who drop short take a risk.
The 2026-27 schedule
- 2nd men's ODI v England: 15 November 2026, day-night
- 2nd Test v New Zealand: 17–21 December 2026. It is a day Test, and Cricket Australia has said there will be no pink-ball match against New Zealand. It is Adelaide's second daytime Test in a row, according to Cricket Australia's 2026-27 schedule.
- BBL|16 Strikers home games: v Sydney Thunder (23 December), v Melbourne Stars (New Year's Eve), v Melbourne Renegades (6 January), v Hobart Hurricanes (12 January) and v Perth Scorchers (16 January, an afternoon start)
Adelaide Oval pitch report: BBL scoring and results
BBL numbers below include every game at the ground through BBL|15, whose final was played in January 2026.
Across 84 BBL matches at Adelaide Oval, the side batting first won 46 and the chasing side 37, with one no-result. Of Adelaide, the SCG and the Gabba, only Adelaide has a long-run edge for batting first. Recent seasons have been closer: chasers won all four games in BBL|13, batting first won three of five in BBL|14, and chasers won three of five in BBL|15.
The all-time BBL first-innings average is in the high 160s, and over BBL|13 to BBL|15 it was about 175, with a median close to 165. In BBL|15, first-innings totals ran from 99 (the Renegades, bowled out in 16.5 overs) to 232/4 (the Scorchers, who won by 32 runs).
The table below counts only first innings that lasted 20 overs or ended all out. Three rain-shortened games are left out, including an 18-over game in December 2019 that the Strikers won after making 198/4.
| First-innings total | Batting side won | Batting side lost |
|---|---|---|
| Under 160 | 11 | 23 |
| 160–179 | 15 | 8 |
| 180–199 | 10 | 2 |
| 200 and over | 9 | 3 |
The highest BBL total here is the Strikers' 251/5 against the Brisbane Heat in January 2025. The best chase is the Strikers' 230/3 against Hobart in January 2023, which was the BBL record until the Heat chased 258 at the Gabba in December 2025. The ground also hosted the BBL|07 final in February 2018, when the Strikers made 202/2 to beat Hobart and win their only title.
The leading BBL wicket-takers here are a seamer and a leg-spinner. Peter Siddle has taken 57 BBL wickets at Adelaide Oval, the most of anyone. Rashid Khan took 48 at an economy rate of 6.55, a strong figure on a ground with short square boundaries.
T20 internationals
In 13 men's T20Is the side batting first won eight. Australia made 241/4 against West Indies in February 2024, the highest T20I total here. At the 2022 T20 World Cup, the ground hosted a semi-final in which England chased India's 168/6 without losing a wicket.
ODIs: chasing sides on top since 2015
Chasing sides won seven of the ten ODIs at Adelaide Oval from March 2015 to October 2025. Pakistan reached 169/1 to beat Australia by nine wickets in November 2024, and Australia chased 265 against India in October 2025 to win by two wickets, with Adam Zampa taking 4/60. Since 2015, first-innings totals have mostly fallen between about 230 and 300.
Pink-ball Tests and day Tests
Adelaide hosted the first day-night Test, against New Zealand in November 2015. Including that match, Australia have played eight day-night Tests here and won all eight, the most recent against India in December 2024, according to the day/night cricket record. The best-known came in December 2020, when India were bowled out for 36. It is the lowest Test total at the ground and India's lowest in Test cricket. David Warner's 335 not out against Pakistan in 2019, also under lights, is the highest Test score at the ground.
Fast bowlers often get the most help in the twilight period, when the light changes and the floodlights take over. Before the 2016 day-night Test, Josh Hazlewood said there would still be plenty for the bowlers, especially at night and in the twilight. Mitchell Starc has thrived here: he has 59 Test wickets at Adelaide at an average of 18.06, and he took 6/48 against India in December 2024. Lyon leads the ground's Test wicket list with 68.
The December 2025 Ashes Test was a day Test, and so is the December 2026 Test against New Zealand. The Ashes match showed how well the surface can last. Australia made 371 and 349, Travis Head scored 170, and England still reached 352 in the fourth innings before losing by 82 runs. As of October 2026, Australia have won their last seven Tests here, a run that started after India won in December 2018.
Scores and records at Adelaide Oval
The table covers men's matches up to and including the 2025-26 summer.
| Format | Highest total | Lowest all-out total | Best successful chase |
|---|---|---|---|
| BBL | 251/5, Strikers v Heat, Jan 2025 | 87, Strikers v Sixers, Jan 2012 | 230/3, Strikers v Hurricanes, Jan 2023 |
| T20I | 241/4, Australia v West Indies, Feb 2024 | 117, Zimbabwe v Netherlands, Nov 2022 | 170/0, England v India, Nov 2022 |
| ODI | 369/7, Australia v Pakistan, Jan 2017 | 70, Australia v New Zealand, Jan 1986 | 303/9, Sri Lanka v England, Jan 1999 |
| Test | 674, Australia v India, Jan 1948 | 36, India v Australia, Dec 2020 | 315/6, Australia v England, Jan 1902 |
Conditions to watch
Heat matters here. In January 2024, Hough said a baking spell should get the pitch rock-hard, which he hoped would bring more pace, and that batting gets easier as the ball gets older. BBL|16 games here are mostly evening starts, and the 16 January match against Perth begins in the afternoon.
Because it is a drop-in, the pitch is prepared away from the square and moved into place. Hough said in 2024 that his preparation had not changed since 2015, whatever the format or ball. The short square boundaries stay the same whatever the pitch does.
Pairing this report with a CricGuru prediction
Here is how the two fit together:
| What CricGuru's prediction model uses | What you add from this page |
|---|---|
| Recent form of both sides | The drop-in pitch and how it has played |
| Head-to-head record | Short square boundaries and the shape of the ground |
| League-table strength (points per game) | Weather and the time of day |
| A small home advantage | The toss, and whether setting a target suits the ground |
Nothing in the right-hand column feeds the model. Each prediction also includes a preview written by the AI. To request one, choose a Strikers game on the live and upcoming matches page and sign in (a free account includes a one-off trial of a few predictions, and the Pro and Elite plans allow more). When the probability for a Strikers game is close, remember that batting first has the better long-term record here, though recent seasons are closer, and that a full-length 180 has usually been enough. The CricGuru news feed carries the latest cricket news, and our guide on how to predict cricket matches sets out a fuller method.
FAQ
Should you expect runs or wickets at Adelaide Oval?
Mostly runs. The drop-in pitch is usually hard and good to bat on, and the square boundaries are short. Bowlers get the most help from the new ball and, in day-night Tests, from the twilight session.
Is there a pink-ball Test at Adelaide Oval in 2026-27?
No. The Test against New Zealand from 17 to 21 December 2026 is a day Test, and Cricket Australia has said there will be no pink-ball match in the series. It will be Adelaide's second daytime Test in a row, after the December 2025 Ashes Test.
Why are the square boundaries so short at Adelaide Oval?
The ground is long and narrow, and the pitch runs along its length. That leaves short boundaries square of the wicket and long ones straight down the ground, so bowlers generally try to make batters hit straight.
Which BBL totals have held up at Adelaide Oval?
About 170 is competitive. To the end of BBL|15, in full-length games, sides batting first had won 10 of the 12 games in which they made between 180 and 199, and 9 of 12 when they made 200 or more.
Does Adelaide Oval use a drop-in pitch?
Yes. The ground switched to drop-ins with its 2013 redevelopment, and in January 2024 the curator said they are prepared the same way for red-ball and pink-ball Tests.
After Adelaide
Adelaide suits batters who score square of the wicket, and setting a target has the better BBL record. For contrast, compare the lower-scoring SCG in our SCG pitch report and the pace and bounce of the Gabba. The Hurricanes visit on 12 January, and their home ground is covered in the Bellerive Oval pitch report.