Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has criticized the surface used for the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 5th Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). Michael Clarke said the SCG was his favorite ground in the world but added it was the worst ground he had ever seen in Sydney.
The pitch at the Sydney Cricket Ground for the last Test suited the seamers as Australia defeated India by six wickets in just three days. The grass-covered pitch received a 'satisfactory' rating from the International Cricket Council (ICC). Neither team scored more than 200 runs in the four innings.
The SCG is my favorite stadium in the world – Michael Clarke
Speaking on ESPN's About the Wicket, Clarke expressed his disappointment with the pitch at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Clarke described the pitch as the worst he had ever seen in Sydney and criticized it for not being a good wicket for cricket.
“The SCG is my favorite stadium in the world. It's my home stadium, and I hate to say it out loud, but this is the worst stadium I've ever seen in my life in Sydney. I didn't think it was a good wicket for cricket,” Clark told ESPN about the Wicket.
I didn't think it was a good cricket wicket – Michael Clarke
Michael Clarke said the field had issues, including the ball bouncing unevenly during the game. Clarke said that while he was not complaining, he pointed out that if a similar over-spinning wicket had been produced in India, the Australian fans would have criticized it harshly.
“You know, the balls don't just go high, they also go low at the end of the second day. I didn't think it was a good cricket match, and of course Australia won, so I'm not complaining, but if we go to India and play and they produce a wicket like that “In terms of going berserk and having the game over in two-and-a-half days, I think all the Australian cricket fans are going to be disgusted with it, I think we just have to be a little bit careful now in and around that,” Clarke said.
The whole summer has been really tough for the batsman, but Sydney has been tough – Michael Clarke
Michael Clarke acknowledged that different countries produce pitches suited to their conditions, but emphasized that the wickets throughout the summer had been a challenge for batting and ideal for fast bowling, especially with the new ball.
“We go to different countries and the conditions are right for them. I think we need to bite our tongues because these wickets in general throughout the whole summer have been very difficult for batsmen and have been great for fast bowling, especially against the brand new ball, but Sydney has been extreme, and I didn't think It was a good test portal,” Clark concluded.