Ricky Ponting criticized the Sydney Showground pitch during Sydney Thunder’s scoreless loss against Perth Scorchers on Monday, labeling it as “substandard” and questioning whether the team needs to move to Canberra.
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Ponting lashes out at the Showground pitch
After defeating Thunder by seven wickets and needing just five balls to win, Scorchers made their way back into the top two in the BBL. Thunder, who are now in seventh position on the standings with three games remaining, needed the results to go their way to get to the finals.
Despite Ashton Agar’s 2 for 6 from four overs and Cooper Connolly’s 3 for 25 from his four, the pitch continued to be the main topic of conversation. Chris Green finished with 1 for 22 from 3.1 overs, while Tanveer Sangha, a thunderous spinner, only managed 14 from his four overs.
Agar’s statistics are the second-most economical in BBL history, while Scorchers wicketkeeper Sam Whiteman added that it “looked like Chennai”.
The league is seen as a method for young people to get into cricket, therefore for Cricket Australia, the pitch has become an issue. With a run rate of 7.76 across the competition’s history, the venue is located in one of Australia’s most populous and culturally diverse regions—lower than any other major BBL stadium.
In the last two seasons, there has only been one score of more than 160; spin and off-pace deliveries have often dominated. In front of an audience of 8672, the Thunder innings proceeded so slowly that they managed to score just 19 runs in a six-over stretch towards the end of the game.
Ponting continued by questioning if Thunder, who now play two games a season at Manuka Oval, should relocate permanently to Canberra in light of the Showground pitch’s condition.
For Thunder, Alex Hales was the lone batsman, hitting three sixes over the leg side in his 72 off 55 balls. But while he batted, three guys were ran out at the other end, putting him dangerously close to being Thunder’s villain.