Thirty wickets fell in 125 overs. The Test lasted only two days. Yet the Mackay pitch could still receive the ICC’s highest rating.
Match referee Sir Richie Richardson is expected to rate the Great Barrier Reef Arena surface as “very good”, according to Fox Cricket and 7Cricket reports. The ICC must approve the assessment before it becomes official.
“Very good” ranks as the highest of the ICC’s four pitch ratings. The grade recognises surfaces that offer good carry and consistent bounce. It also allows some seam movement while maintaining a fair contest between bat and ball.
The Mackay surface certainly gave Australia’s fast bowlers plenty to work with.
Eighteen wickets fell on the opening day. Australia then took the remaining 12 wickets on Sunday to complete an innings-and-51-run victory.
For Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, the expected rating raises an old question.
Would a similar pitch receive the same treatment in the subcontinent?
Bangladesh lost their first innings for 64. They then collapsed for 95 in the second innings. It marked the first time they had scored below 100 in both innings of a Test.
“Normally when we play in the subcontinent and 18-19 wickets fall in a day, there is a lot of talk, everyone speaks up,” Shanto said.
“Eighteen wickets fell on Day 1 here too. People need to understand that.”
Shanto also accepted that the surface was difficult for batting.
“The pitch was challenging, and that’s why 18 wickets fell,” he said. “When we play in the subcontinent, let’s make sure we don’t forget these things.”
Mitchell Starc enjoyed the conditions more than anyone. The left-arm quick took 6-12 in Bangladesh’s first innings before adding 4-39 in the second.
His 10-wicket match haul led Australia’s attack. Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon also took three wickets each in the second innings.
Bangladesh’s batting, however, deserves plenty of criticism. Australia also struggled at times but still made 210, more than twice Bangladesh’s first-innings total.
Josh Hazlewood offered a different view of the surface.
“Yeah, the wicket was pretty good. I don’t necessarily think it should have been a two-day game,” Hazlewood told Fox Cricket.
“There was a little bit of seam movement day one, which you expect in most Test matches, but once the shine went off the ball it didn’t go a great deal.”
Mackay would not be the first Australian venue to earn a top pitch rating after a two-day Test.
Last year’s opening Ashes Test in Perth also finished inside two days. Thirty-two wickets fell in that match, including 19 on the opening day.
Perth Stadium still received a “very good” rating.
Mackay now appears set for the same verdict.
The contrast will keep the pitch debate alive, especially in Bangladesh, where pitches that produce heavy wicket tallies often face far greater scrutiny.
