The India tour of Australia 2024-25 has concluded with the hosts emerging victorious, securing a dominant 3-1 win in the Test series. One of the matches in the series ended in a tie, adding an extra layer of excitement to the contest. In the aftermath of the series, Cricket Australia (CA) have revealed the ratings for all five venues that hosted the matches, as assessed by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
ICC rates BGT 2024-25 venues: Sydney Cricket Ground under scrutiny
The venues that hosted the series received evaluations based on a rating system categorizing them into four distinct groups: Very Good, Satisfactory, Unsatisfactory, and Unfit. The first four venues- Optus Stadium in Perth, Adelaide Oval, The Gabba in Brisbane, and the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), all earned the highest rating of ‘Very Good’. This recognition highlights the quality of these grounds in hosting world-class cricket and providing the players with excellent playing conditions.
While the final Test of the series was held at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), the venue received a rating of ‘Satisfactory’ from the ICC. The pitch, in particular, came under heavy scrutiny from both current players and cricket analysts. The surface has faced criticism for not meeting the standards expected for a Test match, with concerns over its tendency to break up and create challenges for the batters.
Sunil Gavaskar criticizes SCG Pitch
Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar had criticized the Sydney Cricket Ground pitch, stating it’s not ideal for a Test match as it should last into the fourth and fifth days. He had pointed out that if 15 wickets had fallen in a day in India, there would have been widespread complaints. He also mentioned Australia cricket legend Glenn McGrath‘s remark about the excessive grass on the pitch, questioning whether any former Indian cricketers had complained about it.
“This is not the ideal Test match pitch that you want because you want it to go into a fourth and fifth day. If 15 wickets fell (on one day) in India, all hell would have broken loose. We had Glenn McGrath saying he’d never seen so much grass. Did you hear any former India cricketer moan about the pitch?,” Gavaskar commented during the series.
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Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith views on SCG Pitch
Australia opener Usman Khawaja criticized the pitch, calling it “a stinker” and noting it wasn’t a typical SCG wicket. He mentioned the presence of cracks, making batting difficult. Despite the tough conditions, Australia won, but Khawaja emphasized the challenge of playing on such a wicket.
“I’m not gonna lie, I didn’t want to talk about it too much beforehand, but the wicket was a stinker. It wasn’t like a traditional SCG wicket with the new grass on it, there are cracks all over it, it’s been tough batting, the scoreboard will tell you that. Thankfully we were on the right side of the win but when it’s a wicket like that you’re always on a knife edge,” Khawaja said in the interview with ABC Radio.
Steve Smith criticized the pitch, describing it as “two-paced, up and down, seaming, and swinging,” making it incredibly difficult to bat. He also noted that he had never encountered such a wicket at the SCG before.
“By a mile. It was two-paced, up and down, seaming all over the place, swinging. I’ve never played on a wicket like that at the SCG before. It was incredibly difficult to bat,” Smith said in an interaction with media.
Cricket Australia defends SCG Pitch
Meanwhile, CA have responded to criticism of the SCG pitch by defending it, highlighting that the pitch aims to showcase early pace and bounce before it deteriorates and spins. They noted that this year’s pitch was a step forward, contributing to an exciting conclusion to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and offering positive prospects for the 2025-26 Ashes series.
“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,” Cricket Australia stated.
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