Cricket’s double standard? Perth’s pitch rating follows criticism from Indian greats

Perth’s fast and furious pitch for the first Ashes Test has been handed the best possible rating by the International Cricket Council, placing further spotlight on England’s poor batting to allow the game to finish inside two days.

Match referee Ranjan Madugalle, the most senior officiator on the ICC panel, rated the pitch “very good”, which is the highest praise available under the global governing body’s system for pitch assessment.

The Sri Lankan official’s endorsement of the conditions in Perth comes after Indian batting great Sunil Gavaskar led criticism of perceived double standards in commentary regarding bowler-friendly pitches in Australia compared with the subcontinent.

ICC regulations state that a “very good” pitch can be characterised as having “good carry, limited seam movement, and consistent bounce early in the match, allowing for a balanced contest between batters and bowlers”.

Batters on both sides struggled to come to terms with the surface on day one, as 19 wickets fell, but conditions on day two eased considerably. This was underlined by Travis Head’s match-winning century in the final session.

England’s second innings saw the tourists fritter away a dominant position with a series of injudicious shots, namely driving at length balls outside off stump, and Madugalle’s assessment of the surface backs up the conclusions of a host of commentators at the ground.

Optus Stadium joins the once-maligned MCG pitch as the only venues in Australia to hold the top rating for three consecutive seasons.

“The match referee’s ‘very good’ rating justifies our belief Perth Stadium produced a pitch that provided a fair balance between bat and ball,” said James Allsopp, CA’s chief of cricket. “The dominance of some brilliant pace bowling from both sides and the frenetic nature of the contest meant the match lasted only two days.

“This was disappointing for fans holding tickets for days three and four, but we saw some incredible moments which captivated huge viewing audiences and will inspire even more kids to pick up a bat and ball this summer.

“As always, we want to ensure pitches across Australia have their own characteristics, and we’re looking forward to another enthralling contest under lights at the Gabba starting next Thursday.”

Former India players Gavaskar, Ravichandran Ashwin, Dinesh Karthik and Aakash Chopra have all questioned why rank turners in India are viewed differently to seam-friendly tracks in Australia.

“I can’t recall a critical word about the pitch which had more grass on it than usual,” Gavaskar wrote in a column for the website of Indian newspaper Mid-Day.

“The same was in Sydney where 15 wickets fell on day one. The argument, as enumerated by the curator in Perth last year, was ‘This is Perth, Australia, and you will get bounce’.

“Fine, but then when the pitch affords turn, why can’t it be accepted that this is India, and there will be turn.

“If you complain about the bounce, then the counter-argument is you can’t play fast bowling. Why is there never a counter-argument that you can’t play spin bowling when the pitch affords turn in India?”

Mike McKenna, chief executive of Optus Stadium, told this masthead that there had been more issues with the quality of the batting than with the pitch itself.

“Both teams played their part in the quick finish,” McKenna said. “I don’t want to let Australia off the hook. After last year, they’d have had more awareness what the wicket would be like.

“No one has criticised how the wicket has played. It didn’t keep low or bounce outrageously, [and there was] not much sideways movement, just good fast bowling on a fast bowling track until the Poms lost line and length in their fourth innings.”

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