Melbourne Cricket Ground Turf To Be Fully Replaced Ahead Of Cricket World Cup Final

The Melbourne Cricket Ground will use its month-long break after the grand final to "undertake its biggest turf overhaul in a decade, ahead of hosting next year's cricket World Cup final," according to Jesse Hogan of THE AGE. The venue's entire surface, almost 20,000 square meters, will be "torn up two days after" the Australian Football League grand final on Sept. 27. Once "all the turf has been removed -- it is estimated that will fill about 150 truck-and-trailer loads -- the base will be flattened in preparation for the installation of the new turf," which has been growing in central Victoria since January. The removal of the turf is "expected to take six days," and 12 days have been allotted for the "installation of the new turf, with the expectation there will be a fortnight between the completion of the installation and the first match to be played on it." The program has been budgeted at A$1.7M ($1.6M) (THE AGE, 8/21).