'Usman’s comments were not reflective of how the team viewed the pitch and Perth Stadium personnel are aware of this,” a CA spokesperson was quoted by the masthead. The opening Test in Perth saw 19 wickets fall on Day 1 as England were bowled out for 172, with Mitchell Starc taking career-best figures of 7-58, before Australia's batters collapsed to 121/9 at stumps. Day 2 saw 13 wickets fall and 380 runs scored as England were dismissed for 164 before Travis Head's remarkable 123 guided Australia to an eight-wicket victory and a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. The entire Test match lasted just 847 deliveries, making it the shortest Ashes Test by balls bowled since 1888.
But, match referee Ranjan Madugalle rated the Perth wicket 'very good', which, under the ICC's four-tier rating system, is the highest ranking possible awarded to pitches with "good carry, limited seam movement, and consistent bounce early in the match. They do get better day two, day three, but day four they start to crack up again." A day after ICC has rated the playing surface for the first Ashes Test in Perth as 'very good', Khawaja offered a sharply different view and criticised the pitch for its variable bounce, saying, "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."
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