Usman Khawaja of Australia during the Ashes Series Test Match. (Image: Darrian Traynor/Getty Images) Usman Khawaja is set to face an official notice from Cricket Australia after he openly slammed the Perth Stadium pitch used for the first Ashes Test, calling it a “piece of s**t” while speaking at a charity event earlier this week. According to reports, Khawaja’s comments did not go down well with CA officials, especially when match referee Ranjan Madugalle gave the surface a “very good” rating, the highest category an ICC referee can assign. Praising the pitch for offering “good carry, limited seam movement and consistent early bounce”, Madugalle described the two-day match as a fair contest for both batsmen and bowlers.
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Khawaja delivered a much harsher verdict at the event. He argued that the dramatic collapse of wickets on the opening day and the repeated blows from the batsmen showed that the surface had an unpredictable bounce. He pointed out that even Steve Smith, whom he described as the best player he ever shared a dressing room with, was struggling to find the middle of the bat. “Nineteen wickets on the first day and about 20 wickets, that’s a great wicket which seems really fair. Steve Smith is by far the best cricketer I’ve ever played with and he’s missing the middle of the bat by far – he won’t miss the middle of the bat. He’s getting hit in the elbow. Up and down (mostly and a little bit down, sideways movement) is harder but sideways movement is a bit easier I can’t catch up, first wicket in Perth is whiff, I’m glad it was this year,” Khawaja said at an event for the Usman Khawaja Foundation. He also pointed out that the course usually becomes more stable after the first day, with days 2 and 3 usually offering the best batting conditions. “They get better. Day two, day three and then day four, they start to crack and heal again. We know day two and day three are usually the best time to bat. So whenever we play in Perth, it’s one of the few places where we win the toss and bat first, hopefully we can bat again, maybe at the end of day two and into day three,” he added. Cricket Australia is expected to formally address the matter as Khawaja’s remarks attracted attention not only for their blunt language but also for openly questioning the ICC’s highest ranking of the same wicket.
