New Delhi: The International Cricket Council has deemed the Sydney wicket for the fifth Test between India and Australia to be ‘satisfactory’, apart from rating four out of five pitches in the Border-Gavaskar Test series to be ‘very good’.
Australia won the high-voltage five-match series 3-1 to regain the BGT after a decade, also qualifying for the World Test Championship final in June against South Africa.
The fifth and final match of the series was held at the Sydney Cricket Ground, where the match ended inside three days on a greenish track, leading to questions marks over the nature of the track.
A total of 26 wickets fell on the first two days but the ICC didn’t find anything odd with the wicket. “The surface for the final Test in Sydney received a ‘satisfactory’, the second-highest rating on ICC’s scale,” the ICC said in a statement.
“The pitches at Perth Stadium, Adelaide Oval, Gabba and Melbourne Cricket Ground – the venues for the first four Tests – were rated as ‘very good’.”
‘Not ideal’
Former India skipper Sunil Gavaskar termed the pitch ‘not ideal’ while the touring team’s head coach Gautam Gambhir said its ‘spicy’ nature was overall good for Test cricket.
Sydney has traditionally been a batting-friendly track but it was loaded towards the bowlers this time as batters of both the teams struggled on seaming conditions.
“We encourage pitches that bring out the unique characteristics of that venue and this has long been a feature of Australian cricket,” Cricket Australia’s Head of Cricket Operations Peter Roach said.
“We don’t look to prepare wickets that favour the home side or suit our situation in a series. What we seek is a good contest between bat and ball and pitches that are likely to produce a result.
“Weather obviously plays a significant part in preparation and we know that even our most skilled curators are challenged at times by adverse weather,” he added.
“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 fifth and final match of the series was held at the Sydney Cricket Ground, where the match ended inside three days on a greenish track, leading to questions marks over the nature of the track. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
