Opening test Ashes 2025-26 The series closed quickly over two days at Perth Stadium Australia to secure an eight-wicket victory English. Despite the interruption of play and difficult conditions, the ICC match referee controversially awarded a ‘very good’ rating to a ‘very good’ pitch.
But the Australian key USMAN KHAWAJA He strongly disagreed with this assessment, openly criticizing Surface Day 1 for its unpredictable and dangerous nature. Khawaja’s comments, at an event for his foundation, highlighted the difference between player experience and official pitch ratings.
Usman Khawaja rejects ‘very good’ rating by ICC in strong criticism
Speaking at an event for the Usman Khawaja Foundation, Khawaja slammed the icc’s top ranking, sharply contradicting his views. The Australian opener was uncompromising in his assessment of Day 1, highlighting the undue hardship and danger posed to the batsmen: “Nineteen Wakets and about 20 batted on the first day, that’s a great wicket – looks real fair.” He criticized his unpredictable “up and down” bounce as the most difficult factor to explain the difficulty for the batsman: “You can’t really predict up and down. Up and down is the hardest – sides are a little easier, up and down, your hands can’t hold.”
Khawaja emphasized that the conditions were so intense, when making contact with the ball, that it disturbed the world’s elite players: “He misses the middle of the bat long—he doesn’t miss the middle of the bat. He’s elbowed, he’s hit.” He insisted that he had repeated his observation of the matter “The same thing happened in the Indian Test last year. ” Bater stated that the pitch has since improved: “So a piece of (perth) a piece of s*, I’m happy to say that. It was this year. It’s getting right.
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England’s Bazball exploded by Travis head in Perth as Australia
The Ashes series was led by the Australian Fast Bowler in Perth, marking the shortest innings match since 1921, with a brand first started by Australian fast bowlers who provided a pitch and unexpected bounce. Although England managed a 40-run first-innings lead, their average batsman suffered a disastrous collapse in the second innings as Australia set a target of 205 runs on their second afternoon.
Chase went from being awesome to being assertive with his encouragement Head of TravisWho opened in the absence of the injured Khawaja. Brutal, career-defining counter-attacking shots, A blast of 123 runs off just 83 ballsreaching his century, 69 deliveries, the second fastest in batting history, to completely flatten the English attack and make a mockery of their aggressive ‘baseball’ tactics. This whirlwind, unheard of Australian engine, has taken a 1-0 lead in the five-Test series for the hosts, leaving the English camp in, in the words of their captain, “shell-shocked” and struggling to understand their swift capitulation after a night and day at the Gabba.
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