In an effort to help their batsmen tackle spinners better, Australia has built an artificial pitch at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane.

The surface, which is intended to replicate conditions in India, Paki­stan and Sri Lanka, has a concrete base with artificial grass, clay and turf rolled into a compact layer.

“The artificial base and the bounce is a lot different to what we get in Australia,” Cricket Australia’s high performance manager Pat Howard told the Courier Mail.

“I think it’s a step in the right di­rection. Batsmen can practise on a pitch that will play very differently to what we can expect in Australia.

“It’s a start. At no stage am I going to suggest it’s the finished article but I think it will provide a good, solid base to try something different.”

Players will get a chance to make use of the surface this week as Aus­tralia prepare for a trip to the Unit­ed Arab Emirates.

Howard said he would continue to investigate the possibility of bringing soil from India to accu­rately replicate conditions.

“In a further process we have been talking to quarries and doing further testing,” Howard added.

“We even found out that in Mum­bai they have a mixture of clays. It’s very different, as you could imagine, if you go from the bottom of Sri Lanka in Galle all the way up to Mohali.

“It’s a fascinating process and we’re not going to have a magic bul­let here.”