All five pitches used for Test series between Australia and India received high ratings

The best Test series in years was played on the best pitches according to official ratings with even the spicy SCG deck Australia beat India in three days on getting the tick.

The SCG pitch which produced a short but scintillating three-day Test between Australia and India was given the second top ranking of ‘satisfactory” by the International Cricket Council despite Australian opener Usman Khawaja calling it a “stinker”.

And the MCG wicket which enabled one of the most thrilling Tests on Australian soil in years, going all five days, received the ultimate accolade for head curator Matt Page, given the highest ‘very good’ rating.

Perth Stadium, Adelaide Oval and the Gabba also received the “very good” ratings for the first three Tests in a massive tick for the wickets produced for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy which Australia retained with a 3-1 series win.

The ratings system was revamped in 2023 to reduce the number of ratings from six to four – very good, satisfactory, unsatisfactory and unfit and venues are given demerit points if they receive unsatisfactory or unfit ratings.

But that won’t be the case for any of the Australian venues with the tick of approval for the SCG pitch particularly surprising given it was the first completed Test at the SCG since 1888 where neither team passed 200 in the four innings of the match.

“We are delighted by the quality of pitches produced for the NRMA Insurance Border-Gavaskar Trophy series and grateful for all the hard work of the curators and venues across the country,” Peter Roach, CA Head of Cricket Operations and Scheduling said in a statement.

Steve Smith looks at the SCG pitch after one of his dismissals in Sydney. (Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP)

“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 and bodes well for the Ashes summer in 2025-26.

"I hate saying this out loud: That's the worst pitch I've ever seen in Sydney."

A scathing review of the SCG pitch from @MClarke23.

"Sydney was extreme - I didn't think it was a good Test wicket."#AroundTheWicket@ESPNAusNZ@ESPNcricinfohttps://t.co/jr1BJeNnPVpic.twitter.com/WiqkXBcrDW

— Neroli Meadows (@Neroli_Meadows) January 8, 2025

“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 SCG Test was finished late on the third day after being bowler-friendly leading Khawaja to give it his unfavourable personal rating, despite making a crucial 41 runs in the second innings.

But Australian captain Cummins said he’d rather a pitch that was a little over-spiced.

“It’s very different to any other SCG pitch I’ve seen,’’ Cummins said.

“I really like that the groundsman has been trying to put a lot of life into it. At times it’s probably doing a lot, but I think I’d much prefer Test cricket to be like that, rather than filled out to boring draws.’’

But while the wickets provided results, they also produced the shortest series, for total balls bowled, in a five-match Test series worldwide in exactly 100 years.