Perth, Nov 27 (UNI) The International Cricket Council (ICC) has rated the Perth Stadium surface used for the shortest Ashes Test in 137 years as “very good” despite the match ending inside two days with 19 wickets tumbling on the opening day, as per Cricket Australia.
Australia sealed a dominant win over England in just 847 balls, the second-fewest delivered in an Ashes Test since 1887. But the ICC made clear that the rapid finish was not a reflection of poor pitch quality.
A “very good” rating, the highest in the ICC’s four-tier pitch evaluation system, is reserved for surfaces that offer “good carry, limited seam movement, and consistent bounce early in the match” to ensure a fair contest between bat and ball.
While bowlers dominated the game, particularly Australia’s Mitchell Starc, who claimed a match haul of 10 wickets, including a career-best 7-for in the first innings, the ICC noted that the pitch itself behaved as expected. Travis Head’s fourth-innings century reinforced that batting was far from impossible on the surface.
Starc also defended the wicket after day one, suggesting that the bowlers deserved credit rather than the pitch attracting blame.
“We often sit here and say it’s the wicket or it’s the batting, but I think both teams bowled really well,” Starc said.
“We know how England wants to take the approach of being aggressive, which creates opportunities, and I thought we bowled quite well. There’s obviously a nice covering of grass that the seam can sometimes grip into that grass. I think a really good day for both bowling groups,” he added.
The ICC disagreed with England captain Ben Stokes, however, who said the pitch was “offering a lot to bowlers”.
“For me, in conditions like that, on wickets like that, that offer a lot to bowlers, when you are the one who’s managed to get the time out in the middle, read the wicket and understand it,” Stokes said.
“It’s pretty obvious that the guys who managed to find success out there were the ones who really decided to take the game on, because a lot was happening out there.”
Cricket Australia’s chief of cricket, James Allsopp, said: “The match referee’s ‘very good’ rating justifies our belief Perth Stadium produced a pitch that provided a fair balance between bat and ball.
“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.”
