“You will be suspended from hosting international cricket” - Former Australia captain’s bold take on SCG pitch for BGT 2024-25 5th Test

Former Australia skipper Tim Paine has condemned the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) pitch used for the fifth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25. The Sydney wicket has come under the scanner after lasting until the second session on Day 3.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has rated all the five pitches used in the BGT 2024-25, which Australia won 3-1. While Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, and Melbourne all got 'very good' ratings, the SCG wicket was labeled 'satisfactory' by the governing body.

Paine has now termed the SCG wicket as 'embarrassing,' saying that batters needed to rely more on luck than skill. In his column for News Corp via Yahoo News, the former wicketkeeper-batter wrote:

"It meant batting relied more on luck than skill and although the ICC gave it a satisfactory rating, I would have given it the lowest possible rating and effectively placed the SCG on notice: dish up something like that again and you will be suspended from hosting international cricket."

"It may seem extreme but this isn’t a new phenomenon in Sydney. The Sheffield Shield pitch dished up when Tasmania played at the SCG last season was disgraceful. It is time to shape up or face the consequences," he added.

The Test match saw none of the teams cross the 200-run mark across four innings. While India scored 185 and 157, Australia managed 181 in their first innings and 162/4 in the second essay to register a comfortable win.

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Cricket Australia's operation head defends SCG pitch

Cricket Australia's operations and scheduling boss Peter Roach insisted that a lively wicket wass better than a flat one that doesn't make Test cricket interesting.

"We encourage pitches that bring out the unique characteristics of that venue and this has long been a feature of Australian cricket," Roach said via the aforementioned report.

"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 favor 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," he added.