Michael Clarke slams ‘extreme’ and ‘worst’ Sydney speech as ICC delivers controversial ruling

Former Australian captain Michael Clarke has been critical of the surface used for the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) fifth Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG). Michael Clarke said the SCG was his favorite ground in the world, but added it was the worst pitch he had ever seen in Sydney.

The pitch at the Sydney Cricket Ground for the recent Test was spectator-friendly, where Australia defeated India by six wickets in just three days. The grass pitch has been rated ‘satisfactory’ by the International Cricket Council (ICC). No team has scored more than 200 runs in four innings.

The SCG is my favorite ground in the world – Michael Clarke

Speaking on ESPN’s Around The Wicket show, Clarke expressed his disappointment with the pitch at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Clarke described the pitch as the worst he had ever seen in Sydney and criticized it for not being good for cricket.

“The SCG is my favorite ground in the world. It’s my home ground and I hate to say this out loud, but it’s the worst pitch I’ve ever seen in Sydney. I didn’t think it was a good wicket for cricket,” Clarke told ESPN Around The Wicket.

I didn’t think it was a good wicket for cricket – Michael Clarke

Michael Clarke stated that the pitch had issues, including uneven ball bounce during the match. Clarke said that while he wasn’t complaining, he pointed out that if a similar over-spin wicket had been manufactured in India, it would have been heavily criticized by Australian fans.

“You know, balls don’t just come off the surface, they shoot low at the end of the second day. I didn’t think it was a good wicket for cricket, and of course Australia wins, so I’m not complaining, but if we had gone to India and played and they took a wicket like that against an angry tourer and the game was over in two-and-a-half days, I think all Australian cricket fans would make a stink. So I think we have to be a bit careful about that as well,” he said is Clarke.

It’s been really tough to bat all summer, but Sydney have been extreme – Michael Clarke

Michael Clarke acknowledged that different countries produce pitches to suit their conditions, but stressed that the wickets during the summer were challenging to bat on and ideal for fast bowling, especially with the new ball.

“We go to different countries and they create conditions that are suitable for them. I think we need to bite our tongues because those wickets in general throughout the summer have been very difficult to hit and they have been great for fast bowling, especially against brand new balls, but “Sydney was extreme, I didn’t think it was a good try goal,” Clarke concluded.

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