According to reports, CA officials were unhappy with the opener\u2019s remarks, which came despite match referee Ranjan Madugalle awarding the wicket a \u201cvery good\u201d rating, the highest an ICC official can give.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Madugalle\u2019s assessment followed a match that finished inside two days, noting the surface had \u201cgood carry, limited seam movement, and consistent early bounce,\u201d contributing to what he deemed a fair contest between bat and ball.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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\u2019s calibre struggled to find the middle of the bat due to the up-and-down movement.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cNineteen wickets on the first day and about 20 people got hit, that\u2019s a great wicket, that seems real fair. Steve Smith\u2019s by far the best cricketer I\u2019ve ever played with, and he\u2019s missing the middle of his bat by a long way \u2013 he does not miss the middle of his bat. He\u2019s 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\u2019t catch up. So, day one wicket at (Perth) is a piece of s**t, I\u2019m happy to say that. It has been last year; it was this year,\u201d Khawaja had said at an event for his Usman Khawaja Foundation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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\u2019s calibre struggled to find the middle of the bat due to the up-and-down movement.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Cricket Australia is expected to address the matter formally, with Khawaja\u2019s comments drawing attention not only for their bluntness but for directly contradicting the ICC\u2019s top-tier rating of the wicket.<\/p>\r\n\r\n