Usman Khawaja Calls Perth Day-One Pitch Unplayable After Batters Struggle

Usman Khawaja criticised the Perth pitch after 19 wickets fell on day one, saying it played unfairly and made batting extremely difficult.

The ICC awarded the Optus Stadium surface its top rating after the opening Ashes Test. However, the match finished inside two days as both teams lost nearly two innings on day one and Australia chased 204 with ease.

Opener Usman Khawaja delivered a strong criticism of the pitch, saying it offered excessive assistance to fast bowlers from the first session and provided little stability for batters. He pointed to the 19 wickets that fell on day one. Khawaja also highlighted how several players took blows due to the uneven and unpredictable bounce.

“Nineteen wickets on the first day, about 20 people got hit – that’s a great wicket, that seems real fair? The same thing happened last year, that day one wicket,” Khawaja was quoted as saying by Daily Mail UK.

Khawaja then explained that Perth usually settles on days two and three before breaking up again late in the match. This shapes how teams plan their batting.

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“The day one wicket is a piece of s***, I’m happy to say that. They do get better day two, day three, but day four they start to crack up again. We know day two and day three is usually the best time to bat. That’s why whenever we play at Perth and we win the toss we bat first. Hoping that we can bat again maybe end of day two into day three,” he added.

Khawaja Targets Full Recovery for Gabba Test

Notably, Usman Khawaja dealt with back spasms during the Perth Test, which kept him off the field and prevented him from opening in both innings. He is expected to recover in time for the second Test at the Gabba. Australia retained the same squad for Brisbane, meaning Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood remain unavailable.