The Gabba pitch has come under the scanner following the conclusion of the first Test between Australia and South Africa which ended in a couple of days. The game witnessed 34 wickets in two days, leaving the visitors annoyed. Not only the South Africans but former Australia greats have also expressed their disliking for the top used for the opening Test against South Africa.
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting asserted that he has never seen a track like this. Speaking with 7 Sport, he said,
“I haven’t seen one as green. Matthew Hayden played here more than me, and he hasn’t seen one as green. And Justin Langer said he hasn’t seen one as green.”
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“There wasn’t a lot of moisture was there? There was a little bit of moisture on the surface on day one, probably what you would expect from the Gabba. But what we have seen is excessive seam movement,” he added.
The former captain also opined that the Gabba track might get a poor rating from the ICC.
“I actually think it will get a poor rating. To have 22 wickets fall in the first four sessions of a Test match says to me these are very, very good bowling teams, no doubt about that, but I don’t think that the batting teams are that bad.
“Speaking to some of the players this morning, they seemed to think it is as difficult a surface they have ever played on. A lot of these guys have played a lot of cricket. They have played on some pretty tough wickets in different places around the world. So, it’s probably pretty justified at the moment,” he added.
Matthew Hayden, who played all his domestic cricket at the Gabba, also criticised the track and stated that there was no need to make it so full of grass.
“Certainly in my view, it’s that excessive movement,” Hayden told 7 Sport
“This is a new ball wicket and we have got a very, very good new ball attack. It is as simple as that. A lot of the wickets have fallen inside that zone where you are always vulnerable. It doesn’t matter whether this is an absolute road, brown and spattering of grass on it. It will always seam and bounce at the Gabba.
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“It was such an unusual place to come and play, basically it is not really a home game for Australia either. They have to come here and get used to the conditions, both with bat and ball in hand.
“But in my opinion, it started too green. And that’s just from someone that has seen this from a very young age, there is no need to make it so full of grass, such heavy grass content. Because it seamed too much,” he concluded.
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