'Playing at Perth': Justin Langer compares Ekana to WACA as LSG struggle at home
Lucknow Super Giants coach Justin Langer admits his team struggles with the Ekana Stadium's pace and bounce, comparing it to Perth's WACA. Despite a brilliant surface, LSG batters haven't adapted, leading to three home losses. Langer praised his bowlers, highlighting Mohsin Khan and Prince Yadav as future India stars.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) head coach Justin Langer admitted his side is struggling to adapt to the unique conditions at the Ekana Stadium, comparing the surface to the famous WACA Ground after their failed chase of 160 against the Rajasthan Royals. Langer described the pitch as “brilliant” but acknowledged that LSG’s batters have been unable to adjust to its extra pace and bounce. The venue has proven troublesome for Lucknow, who have now lost all three home games this season and have managed just six wins in 17 matches there since 2024.
Speaking after the defeat on April 22, Langer pointed out that the surface behaves very differently from typical Indian pitches. "I think the pitch here is very different than in most of India. It's a brilliant cricket pitch.
You see pace and bounce and we just haven't quite adjusted to it. I thought we started off with bowling quite well in it. We bowled well in the first game but we're just not adjusting to the extra pace and bounce.
We saw that we've been out to the short ball a number of times, our batters, and that's what I would say," Langer said after the match. "So we're not adjusting. We see a lot of the wickets in India where the ball doesn't bounce very high.