The International Cricket Council (ICC) has released its pitch ratings for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, with Perth Stadium, Adelaide Oval, Gabba and MCG pitches receiving the highest rating of ‘very good’ and the SCG receiving the second higher category “satisfactory”. “.
The ratings come as the Kangaroos last week recorded a 3-1 victory in the five-match series to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in a decade.
Losing the first match in Perth, the hosts bounced back strongly to win the second, fourth and fifth Tests, while the third match ended in a draw.
With the series victory, Australia also reached the final of the World Test Championship against South Africa at Lord’s in June.
The pitch grading system, revamped in 2023 to reduce the number of ratings from six to four (very good, satisfactory, unsatisfactory and unsuitable), features demerit points for venues if they receive unsatisfactory or unsuitable ratings.
“We are delighted with the quality of the pitches produced for the NRMA Insurance Border-Gavaskar Trophy series and grateful for all the hard work of curators and venues across the country,” said Peter Roach, head of cricket programming and operations at AC.
“We encourage pitches that highlight the unique characteristics of that location and this has long been a feature of Australian cricket. We firmly believe this is one of the reasons Test cricket is so popular in Australia.
“We are not looking to set up wickets that favor the home team or suit our situation in a series. What we are looking for is good competition between bat and ball and pitches that are likely to produce a result.
“Weather obviously plays an important role in preparation and we know that even our most skilled curators are sometimes challenged by adverse weather conditions,” he added.
Noting that the SCG has strived to highlight its unique characteristics of early pace and bounce before the pitch wears and turns, Roach commented that this year was a step in the right direction to achieve this, providing an exciting finish to the Border Gavaskar Trophy. series and bodes well for the Ashes summer in 2025-26.
“The series also emphasized the benefits of playing first-class cricket at top venues. It allows our curators to become more familiar with the different challenges involved in preparing wickets in different weather conditions, and also allows players to come into the Test team familiar with the conditions they will face,” he concluded.
