Two two-Day Tests with two different ratings: Why Perth passed but MCG failed?

ICC's "unsatisfactory" rating of the MCG pitch used for the Boxing Day Test between Australia and England has raised many eyebrows. The fixture, akin to the Ashes opener in Perth, lasted two days. However, while the pitch used for the Perth Test was deemed "very good" by the International Cricket Council, the rating for the MCG wicket is in stark contrast.

A total of 847 deliveries were bowled during the course of the Perth Test, with as many as 19 wickets falling on the first day. Similarly, the Boxing Day Test saw a play of 852 balls with 20 wickets tumbling on the opening day.

Therefore, the discrepancy in ratings for the two pitches has left many fans scratching their head.

What does ICC pitch rating look like?

The ICC has implemented a four-tier system for analyzing pitches and outfields worldwide. "Very good" is the highest rating a pitch can receive, followed by "good", "unsatisfactory", and "unfit".

As per the ICC manual, a pitch is rated "very good" if it has "good carry, limited seam movement, and consistent bounce early in the match, allowing for a balanced contest between batters and bowlers."

In contrast, a surface is deemed "unsatisfactory" if it "does not allow an even contest between bat and ball… by favouring the bowlers too much, with too many wicket-taking opportunities for either seam or spin."

Why was there a disparity in ratings for Optus and MCG?

The passage of play in Perth witnessed 21.03 runs scored per wicket on average, whereas the same nosedived to 15.88 runs per wicket during the Boxing Day Test.

While bowlers headlined the beginning of both Tests, the conditions in Perth eased up as the game progressed, and Travis Head, in particular, was able to unleash his repertoire of strokes during his 83-ball 123, as Australia made light work of their target (205), winning by eight wickets.

Head batted at a strike rate of 148.19, laced with 16 fours and four sixes, and it was an ideal portrayal of how the nature of the strip at Optus had changed by day two.

Stand-in skipper Steve Smith also said that the wicket at Optus gets better once the game progresses to day two.

"This wicket, it kind of gets better, I think, at the end of day two. It was probably at its best for the game this late this evening. We saw similar probably last year as well," Smith said in a presser at the end of the Perth Test. 

While conditions got better for batting in Perth, the surface at the 'G' didn't relent as England lost six wickets in pursuit of just 175 runs.

“The MCG pitch was too much in favour of the bowlers. With 20 wickets falling on the first day, 16 on the second day, and no batter even reaching a half-century, the pitch was ‘Unsatisfactory’ as per the guidelines, and the venue gets one demerit point,” match referee, Jeff Crowe, who officiated the MCG Test, was quoted as saying by the ICC.