This is the second season in a row that the SCG has been rated satisfactory after receiving the same mark for the Pakistan Test a year ago.
“We don’t look to prepare wickets that favour the home side or suit our situation in a series,” Peter Roach, Cricket Australia’s head of cricket operations and scheduling, said. “What we seek is a good contest between bat and ball and pitches that are likely to produce a result.
“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.”
“Traditionally here it’s quite benign and we’ve had a lot of draws, so a lot of people have been talking about the draws, so you’re damned if you do it and damned if you don’t”
Andrew McDonald
The pitch ratings system was revamped in 2023 to reduce the number of categories from six to four: very good, satisfactory, unsatisfactory, and unfit. Venues are given demerit points if they receive unsatisfactory or unfit ratings.
The SCG has previously been criticised for pitches not offering enough assistance for bowlers, which, coupled with poor weather, led to four draws in five seasons between 2018-19 and 2022-23.
The other four pitches in the series – at Perth’s Optus Stadium, Adelaide Oval, the Gabba and MCG – all received “very good” ratings.
