The SCG pitch for the ultimate Take a look at of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy collection towards India, which was dominated by tempo bowlers who gained lavish seam motion and a few uneven bounce, has been rated “passable” by the ICC match referee, and Cricket Australia has termed it a “step in the precise route” for surfaces on the venue.
The groundsman used a brand new number of grass for this season’s Take a look at pitch, having trialled it throughout final summer time’s Sheffield Defend, and it resulted within the third-shortest Sydney Take a look at of all time – with an outright consequence – based mostly on deliveries bowled. Solely two half-centuries have been scored, one from debutant Beau Webster and the opposite a surprising 33-ball counterattack by Rishabh Pant.
Australia opener Usman Khawaja referred to as the pitch a “stinker” after the sport, however his captain Pat Cummins mentioned he would somewhat situations tilt in direction of serving to the bowlers, although his staff solely wanted a draw to win the collection, whereas India coach Gautam Gambhir went additional and mentioned such pitches have been essential for the way forward for Take a look at cricket.
Nevertheless, former Australia captain Michael Clarke was extremely essential of the floor. “The SCG is my favorite floor on this planet, it’s my house floor, and I hate saying this out loud, however that is the worst pitch I’ve ever seen in Sydney,” he advised ESPN’s Round The Wicket. “I did not suppose it was cricket wicket, balls not simply going up off the floor however capturing low on the finish of day two.”
That is the second season in a row that the SCG has been rated passable after receiving the identical mark for the Pakistan Take a look at a 12 months in the past.
“We do not look to organize wickets that favour the house facet or swimsuit our scenario in a collection,” Peter Roach, Cricket Australia’s head of cricket operations and scheduling, mentioned. “What we search is an efficient contest between bat and ball and pitches which are prone to produce a consequence.
“The SCG has been striving to carry out their distinctive traits of early tempo and bounce earlier than the pitch wears and spins. This 12 months was a step in the precise route to attaining this which supplied an thrilling end to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy collection and bodes effectively for the Ashes summer time in 2025-26.”
“Historically right here it is fairly benign and we have had a number of attracts, so lots of people have been speaking concerning the attracts, so that you’re damned in case you do it and damned in case you do not”
Andrew McDonald
The pitch rankings system was revamped in 2023 to scale back the variety of classes from six to 4: superb, passable, unsatisfactory, and unfit. Venues are given demerit factors in the event that they obtain unsatisfactory or unfit rankings.
The SCG has beforehand been criticised for pitches not providing sufficient help for bowlers, which, coupled with poor climate, led to 4 attracts in 5 seasons between 2018-19 and 2022-23.
“The bottom workers have performed an unimaginable job when it comes to making a wicket with one thing in it,” Australia coach Andrew McDonald mentioned after day two. “Historically right here it is fairly benign and we have had a number of attracts, so lots of people have been speaking concerning the attracts, so that you’re damned in case you do it and damned in case you do not. I feel he is attempting to supply an excellent contest between bat and ball. It is made for fascinating cricket.”
The opposite 4 pitches within the collection – at Perth’s Optus Stadium, Adelaide Oval, the Gabba and MCG – all obtained “superb” rankings.
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