The SCG pitch for the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against India, which was dominated by fast bowlers who managed generous movement at the seams and some uneven bounces, was rated as ‘satisfactory’ by the match referee of the ICC, and
cricket Australia called it a “step in the right direction” for venue surfaces.
The groundsman used a new variety of grass for this season’s Test pitch, having tried it during last summer’s Sheffield Shield, and it resulted in the third-shortest Sydney Test of all time, with a clean sweep, according to released deliveries. Only two half-centuries were scored, one by debutant Beau Webster and the other an impressive 33-ball counter-attack by Rishabh Pant.
Australia opener Usman Khawaja called the pitch “stinking” after the match, but his captain Pat Cummins said he would prefer conditions tilted towards helping the bowlers, even though his team only needed a draw. to win the series, while India coach Gautam Gambhir left. further and said such pitches were important for the future of Test
cricket.
However, former Australia captain Michael Clarke was highly critical of the surface. “The SCG is my favorite ground in the world, it’s my stadium and I hate to say this out loud, but it’s the worst pitch I’ve ever seen in Sydney,” he told ESPN.
Around the gate. “I didn’t think it was a good
cricket pitch, the balls were not only coming up off the surface but shooting low at the end of the second day.”
This is the second consecutive season that the SCG has received a satisfactory rating after receiving the same rating in the Pakistan Test a year ago.
“We are not looking to prepare wickets that favor the home team or suit our situation in a series,” said Peter Roach, cricket Australia’s head of cricket operations and programming. “What we’re looking for is good competition between bat and ball and pitches that are likely to produce a result.
“The SCG has strived to highlight its unique characteristics of early pace and bounce before the pitch wears down and turns. This year was a step in the right direction to achieve this, providing an exciting end to the Trophy series Border-Gavaskar and it bodes well for the Ashes summer in 2025-26.”
“Traditionally it’s pretty benign here and we’ve had a lot of draws, so a lot of people have been talking about the draws, so you’re damned if you do it and damned if you don’t.”
andres mcdonald
The pitch grading system was revamped in 2023 to reduce the number of categories from six to four: very good, satisfactory, unsatisfactory and not suitable. Places receive demerit points if they receive unsatisfactory or unsuitable ratings.
The SCG has previously been criticized for pitches that do not offer enough assistance to players, which, along with poor weather, led to four draws in five seasons between 2018-19 and 2022-23.
“The ground staff have done an incredible job in terms of creating a wicket with something in it,” Australia coach Andrew McDonald said after the second day. “Traditionally it’s pretty benign here and we’ve had a lot of ties, so a lot of people have been talking about ties, so you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t. I think it’s trying to produce an even contest between the bat and the ball. It’s made for interesting
cricket.”
The other four grounds in the series – at Perth’s Optus Stadium, the Adelaide Oval, the Gabba and the MCG – received “very good” ratings.
