'Hate saying this': Australian great Michael Clarke takes aim at SCG pitch after 'satisfactory' ICC rating
Updated . First published
The pitch ratings are in from the ICC following a dramatic Border-Gavaskar Trophy series and only one ground failed to deliver.
Australia produced a 3-1 series victory over India to claim the trophy for the first time in a decade, as the likes of Scott Boland and Pat Cummins wreaked havoc with the ball.
However, the final game of the series at the SCG - which finished in less than three days - has copped a "satisfactory" rating from the sport's governing body.
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It comes after 34 wickets fell for less than 700 combined runs during the Test, leading to criticism from the likes of former Indian skipper Sunil Gavaskar.
Conditions were tricky for batters at the SCG. Getty
Aussie great Michael Clarke also didn't mince words when it came to his home deck, labelling it the "worst ever" during an appearance on ESPN's Around The Wicket.
"The SCG is my favourite ground in the world, it is my home ground, and I hate saying this out loud, but that's the worst pitch I've ever seen in Sydney," he said.
"I didn't think it was a good cricket wicket, balls not just going up off the surface but shooting low at the end of day two."
The other four venues - Optus Stadium, Adelaide Oval, the Gabba and MCG - were all rated "very good" by the ICC on Wednesday afternoon.
Cricket Australia's head of operations and scheduling Peter Roach believes the even nature of the tightly-contested series was largely thanks to the surfaces provided.
"We are delighted by the quality of pitches produced for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series and grateful for all the hard work of the curators and venues," he said.
"We encourage pitches that bring out the unique characteristics of that venue and this has long been a feature of Australian cricket. We strongly believe that this is one of the reasons that Test cricket is so popular in Australia.
"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.
"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.
"The series also emphasised the benefits of playing first-class cricket at major venues. It allows our curators to become more familiar with the different challenges that go into preparing wickets in different weather conditions, and also allows players to enter the Test team familiar with the conditions they will confront."
The next Test match on Australian soil won't be until November when The Ashes kicks off against England.
