Sydney Thunder’s Pitch ProblemANGUAGE Perth Scorchers clinched a 7-wicket victory over Sydney Thunder. After the match, Ricky Ponting criticized the Sydney Showground pitch, calling it “substandard” and suggesting that the Thunder should move to Canberra due to the poor pitch conditions. Sam Whiteman, Scorchers wicketkeeper, also commented that the pitch looked similar to Chennai. The pitch has become a concern for Cricket Australia, as it is viewed as a gateway to the sport for youngsters. Only one score of over 160 has been made in the past two seasons at the venue, with spin and off-pace deliveries generally dominating. The slow-scoring innings of Thunder further emphasized the issue. Ponting questioned if Thunder should permanently move to Canberra, given the state of the Showground pitch. The future of Thunder’s young players could be at stake if they continue to bat on such a pitch. However, Ashton Agar defended the groundstaff, stating that they had to deal with difficult conditions due to heavy rain. Despite the pitch problem, Alex Hales played an impressive innings of 72 from 55 balls for Thunder. In response, Zak Crawley’s 58 from 56 balls helped Scorchers secure the win.
