England have copped another telling blow after their loss in the first Ashes Test, with the ICC rating the Perth pitch “very good” – the highest-possible rating. The tourists only made 132 and 172 with the bat in the first Test on a pitch that provided plenty of pace and bounce, with former Australia coach Justin Langer saying their approach lacked respect for the Aussie bowlers and conditions.
England captain Ben Stokes said the pitch was tricky for batting at times, and some in India have questioned why the surface hasn’t come under as much scrutiny as some of the tracks in the subcontinent that result in short Test matches. The Perth Test only lasted two days, and AAP has reported that Cricket Australia would have lost about $3 million in revenue from the third and fourth days being wiped out.
The Perth pitch has been given the highest rating possible after the first Ashes Test. Image: Getty
But the ICC have now declared there was absolutely nothing wrong with the pitch, giving it the highest rating possible on Thursday. The rating is given to pitches with “good carry, limited seam movement, and consistent bounce early in the match, allowing for a balanced contest between batters and bowlers”.
Despite 19 wickets falling on day one and another 13 on day two, Travis Head’s century in the fourth innings showed the pitch would have been much easier for batting the longer the contest lasted. The ‘very good’ rating has effectively shown that England’s batting and approach simply weren’t good enough.
The Perth pitch provided early assistance for the bowlers before flattening out for the batters. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Cricket Australia happy with Perth pitch despite $3 million loss
Cricket Australia’s head of cricket James Allsopp declared the Perth pitch “provided a fair balance between bat and ball”. He said in a statement: “The dominance of some brilliant pace bowling from both sides and the frenetic nature of the contest meant the match lasted only two days.
“This was disappointing for fans holding tickets for days three and four, but we saw some incredible moments which captivated huge viewing audiences and will inspire even more kids to pick up a bat and ball this summer. As always, we want to ensure pitches across Australia have their own characteristics, and we’re looking forward to another enthralling contest under lights at the Gabba starting next Thursday.”
Mike McKenna, the CEO of Optus Stadium in Perth, said the short test was more a result of both teams’ poor batting in the first innings and England losing their way with the ball in the second. Head was completely untroubled as he peeled off 123 from 83 balls – the fastest century in the fourth innings of an Ashes Test ever.
RELATED:
Justin Langer says England batting lacked respect
Speaking after the match, former Australia coach Langer put the blowtorch on England’s batters and said they didn’t show enough respect to the Aussie bowlers or conditions. “Perth is a totally different wicket than anywhere else you play in the world,” Langer said on Channel 7.
“We saw some of the shots that the England batters played yesterday, you can get away with in different venues and different places, but you can’t do it here. They’ve now got time to go away, get together…and maybe just refine the way they think they need to play their cricket to win here in Australia.
“All I’ll say to any player in Test cricket, yeah you can play your style and you’ve got to get bat on ball and be aggressive and play the big drives, but you’ve got to respect the conditions. You’ve got to respect the opposition. I didn’t see enough of that from the England batters. If they want to stay in this Test series they’re going to have to show a lot more respect to the conditions and the Australian bowlers than they have for these last two innings.”
Ben Stokes (L) and England teammates look on after the first Ashes Test. (Photo by Philip Brown/Getty Images)
England legend Ian Botham told the PA news agency on Thursday: “It was horrendous, there’s no other word for it. I’m fed up of hearing ‘this is the way we play’. If I hear it once more, I think I’ll throw something at the television.
“If that’s the way you play, you might as well go home now because it’s going to be 5-0. They probably won’t like me saying that but they need to get their heads around it. I want more pride when I see people pulling that sweater on.”