SCG strip for 5th test gets a “Satisfactory rating by the ICC after seeing pace bowlers dominate for large parts.
SCG strip used for the 5th and final test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy received a “Satisfactory” rating by the ICC.
According to Cricket Australia, the test was a “step in the right direction” for the venue’s surfaces and was judged “satisfactory” by the ICC match referee. It was dominated by pace bowlers who gained rich seam movement and some inconsistent bounce.
After testing a new grass variety during the Sheffield Shield last summer, the groundsman decided to utilise it for this season’s Test pitch. Based on deliveries bowled, the result was the third-shortest Sydney Test in history, with an outright victory. There were just two half-centuries, one from rookie Beau Webster and another from Rishabh Pant’s incredible 33-ball comeback.
Even though his team only needed a draw to win the series, Australia’s opener Usman Khawaja referred to the pitch as a “stinker” after the match. However, his captain, Pat Cummins, stated that he would prefer that the conditions tilt towards aiding the bowlers. India coach Gautam Gambhir went one step further and stated that such pitches were crucial for the future of Test cricket.
Michael Clarke, the former captain of Australia, was somewhat scathing of the surface, though.
“The SCG is my favourite ground in the world, it is my home ground, and I hate saying this out loud, but that’s the worst pitch I’ve ever seen in Sydney,” he told ESPN’s Around The Wicket. “I didn’t think it was a good cricket wicket, balls not just going up off the surface but shooting low at the end of day two.”
This is the second season in a row that the SCG has been rated satisfactory after receiving the same mark for the Pakistan Test a year ago.
“We don’t look to prepare wickets that favour the home side or suit our situation in a series,” Peter Roach, Cricket Australia’s head of cricket operations and scheduling, said. “What we seek is a good contest between bat and ball and pitches that are likely to produce a result.
“The SCG has been striving to bring out their unique characteristics of early pace and bounce before the pitch wears and spins. This year was a step in the right direction to achieving this which provided an exciting finish to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series and bodes well for the Ashes summer in 2025-26.”
The six categories in the pitch ratings system were redesigned in 2023 to four: very good, satisfactory, poor, and unsuited. If a venue is rated as inadequate or unsuitable, demerit points are awarded.
In the past, the SCG strip has faced criticism for its unhelpful bowling pitches and bad weather, which resulted in four draws in five seasons from 2018–19 to 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 day two. “Traditionally here it’s quite benign 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. I think he’s trying to produce an even contest between bat and ball. It’s made for interesting cricket.”