Australian opener Usman Khawaja is reportedly facing disciplinary action from Cricket Australia (CA) after he bluntly described the Perth Stadium surface used for the first Ashes Test as a “piece of st” during a charity lunch this week. CA officials are said to be highly displeased with the veteran player’s forthright comments, especially since they directly contradict the official rating given by match referee Ranjan Madugalle.
Madugalle had rated the pitch “very good,” which is the highest rating an ICC official can award, despite the Test concluding within just two days. Madugalle justified his evaluation by noting the pitch offered “good carry, limited seam movement, and consistent early bounce,” which he believed led to a fair balance between bat and ball.
Khawaja, speaking at an event for his Usman Khawaja Foundation, offered a starkly different, highly critical assessment. He slammed the surface for its variable bounce, pointing to the quick fall of 19 wickets on Day 1 and the high number of batters who were struck.
“Nineteen wickets on the first day and about 20 people got hit, that’s a great wicket, that seems real fair… Up and down (movement) is the hardest… day one wicket at (Perth) is a piece of s**t, I’m happy to say that,” Khawaja stated. He added that even a world-class player like Steve Smith struggled with the up-and-down movement, noting Smith was “missing the middle of his bat by a long way.”
The opener did concede that the Perth pitch typically improves after the opening day, stating that Days 2 and 3 are usually the best for batting, which influences the team’s decision to bat first after winning the toss. Cricket Australia is now expected to issue a formal notice to Khawaja, as his public and blunt assessment directly challenges the ICC’s top-tier pitch rating.