Ashes: Khawaja Faces CA Notice After Dubbing Perth Pitch ‘piece Of...’
According to reports, CA officials were unhappy with the opener’s remarks, which came despite match referee Ranjan Madugalle awarding the wicket a “very good” rating, the highest an ICC official can give.
Madugalle’s assessment followed a match that finished inside two days, noting the surface had “good carry, limited seam movement, and consistent early bounce,” contributing to what he deemed a fair contest between bat and ball.
Khawaja, however, offered a sharply different view. Speaking at the event, he criticised the pitch for its variable bounce, pointing to the rapid fall of wickets on Day 1 and the number of batters struck and adding that even a player of Steve Smith’s calibre struggled to find the middle of the bat due to the up-and-down movement.
“Nineteen wickets on the first day and about 20 people got hit, that’s a great wicket, that seems real fair. Steve Smith’s by far the best cricketer I’ve ever played with, and he’s missing the middle of his bat by a long way – he does not miss the middle of his bat. He’s getting hit in the elbow. Up and down (movement) is the hardest, sideways is a little bit easier, but up and down, your hands can’t catch up. So, day one wicket at (Perth) is a piece of s**t, I’m happy to say that. It has been last year; it was this year,” Khawaja had said at an event for his Usman Khawaja Foundation.
Khawaja, however, offered a sharply different view. Speaking at the event, he criticised the pitch for its variable bounce, pointing to the rapid fall of wickets on Day 1 and the number of batters struck and adding that even a player of Steve Smith’s calibre struggled to find the middle of the bat due to the up-and-down movement.
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Cricket Australia is expected to address the matter formally, with Khawaja’s comments drawing attention not only for their bluntness but for directly contradicting the ICC’s top-tier rating of the wicket.