Former Test captains Michael Clarke and Tim Paine have both condemned the pitch that was used for the fifth Test between Australia and India at the SCG. On Wednesday, the ICC handed down its ratings for all five pitches used throughout the Border-Gavaskar series, and the SCG was the only one not ranked ‘very good’.

The Sydney wicket was rated ‘satisfactory’ by the game’s governing body (the second-highest), while Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane and Melbourne all got ‘very good’. The Sydney Test only lasted until the second session on day three after 26 wickets fell across the first two days.

Curators in Sydney used a different type of grass this summer in an attempt to get a result, after years of criticism about the lifeless deck. But they seemed to go too far the other way and the grass on the surface proved extremely tough for batting.

India only made 185 and 157, while Australia ended with 181 and 4-162. While the ICC did give the pitch the tick of approval, the ‘satisfactory’ rating was telling compared to what the other four pitches got.

Michael Clarke and Tim Paine blast SCG pitch

Discussing the situation on Wednesday evening, Clarke said it was the worst SCG pitch he’d ever seen. “The SCG is my favourite ground in the world and it is my home ground, and I hate saying this out loud, but that’s the worst pitch I’ve ever seen in Sydney,” he said on ESPN.

“I didn’t think it was a good cricket wicket. Balls not just going up off the surface but also shooting low at the end of day two. If we went to India and played and they produced a wicket like that in regards to a raging turner and the game and the game was over in two and a half days, all Australian cricket fans would be kicking up a stink.”

Fellow former Test captain Paine labelled the pitch “embarrassing”. He wrote for News Corp: “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.”

Cricket Australia defends pitch used in SCG Test

But Cricket Australia’s operations and scheduling boss Peter Roach said a lively pitch is better for Test cricket than a flat one that doesn’t produce a result. “We encourage pitches that bring out the unique characteristics of that venue and this has long been a feature of Australian cricket,” Roach said.

“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. “

RELATED:

Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar said there’d be “hell to pay” if a match barely lasted two days in India, but Aussie coach Andrew McDonald said: “Traditionally here it is quite benign, and a lot of people have been talking about the draws. So you’re damned if you do, damned if don’t.

“Has it favoured bowlers a little more than what we expected and potentially the ground staff expected? There is no doubt about that. But it has made for interesting cricket.”