The Ashes: Australian batter Usman Khawaja dubs Perth pitch on day one of first Test match as ‘piece of s..t’

Australian batter Usman Khawaja has sensationally slammed the pitch his side was presented with on the first day of The Ashes at Optus Stadium as a “piece of s..t”. The veteran opener’s harsh assessment comes despite the surface receiving the highest possible rating from the International Cricket Council and Khawaja — who battled back problems throughout the game — facing only six deliveries over the course of the contest. A total of 19 batters came and went on the opening day of The Ashes as fragility in both sides’ batting line-ups was brutally exposed by world-class bowling on a pitch which has inherited the WACA Ground’s characteristic pace and bounce. After England collapsed again in the middle session of the second day, Travis Head — promoted to the top of the order in place of the unavailable Khawaja — smashed a blistering century to lead Australia to an eight-wicket victory minutes before stumps would have been called. Speaking at an event for his charity, the Usman Khawaja Foundation, Khawaja said he felt the surface offered varying bounce. “Nineteen wickets on the first day and about 20 people got hit — that’s a great wicket, that seems real fair,” Khawaja sarcastically said. “Steve Smith’s by far the best cricketer I’ve ever played with and he’s missing the middle of his bat by a long way - he does not miss the middle of his bat. He’s getting hit in the elbow. “Up and down (movement) is the hardest — sideways is a little bit easier but up and down, your hands can’t catch up. “So day one wicket at (Perth) is a piece of s..t, I’m happy to say that. It has been last year, it was this year.” Khawaja did concede the pitch improved for batting as the game wore on, though neither team was able to enjoy what were expected to be the best of the conditions due to the contest’s swift conclusion. “They do get better. Day two, day three, and then day four, they start to crack up and cure again,” he said. “We know day two, day three is usually the best time to bat. So whenever we play in Perth, it’s one of the few places we win the toss and bat first, hoping that we can bat again maybe the end of day two and into day three.” ICC match referee Ranjan Madugalle gave the surface the highest possible rating of ‘very good’, which Cricket Australia’s chief of cricket James Allsop said “justifies our belief Perth Stadium produced a pitch that provided a fair balance between bat and ball”. “The dominance of some brilliant pace bowling from both sides and the frenetic nature of the contest meant the match lasted only two days,” Allsop said. The parameters of the top rating are for a pitch which is deemed to have “good carry, limited seam movement, and consistent bounce early in the match, allowing for a balanced contest between batters and bowlers.” WA Cricket refused to respond to Khawaja’s comments when contacted by The West Australian.