Gavaskar criticises Mackay pitch after Australia’s innings win over Bangladesh
On August 25, 2026, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar criticised the pitch used in the Australia vs Bangladesh second Test in Mackay after Australia defeated Bangladesh by an innings and 51 runs. Gavaskar said the outcome exposed what he called double standards in how pitches are judged.
Bangladesh failed to cross 100 in both innings of the match, which was the fourth-shortest Test in the history of the game with only 750 balls bowled. Australian batters also struggled in their only innings, with Cameron Green scoring 67 runs and only four batters crossing the double-figure mark. Gavaskar addressed the issue in a column for Sportstar.
Gavaskar wrote: "So, another Test match in Australia has finished within two days. This has happened four times there in the last few years. And we are yet to hear any criticism of the trampoline-bounce pitches that produce such results. The excuses will come thick and fast. ‘Oh, the groundsman, sorry, turf executive, got it wrong." "He went by the weather forecast, which predicted some hot weather, so he left a little more grass, and that led to the excessive bounce.’ Or the other cricketing excuse that the batters didn’t have the technique to cope with the bounce and it wasn’t the fault of the pitch. This last excuse could be faintly accepted if the home team batters had batted well, but when even the home batters can’t stitch a run or a decent partnership together, then what does it tell you about the pitch?" said Gavaskar.
He added: "The pitch in Mackay was no surprise. After the Aussies were humiliated by the Bangladeshis in the first Test, they were going to prepare a pitch that would be fast and bouncy. And, of course, claim that the groundsman had done it on his own and there were zero instructions from the team management. We all know what really happens. It’s just that the Indian management is open about wanting pitches to suit its bowling strength while those from the old powers will do the little whispering and nudging and get a surface that they need," said Gavaskar.
On the likely official response, Gavaskar wrote: "It will be interesting to see the report and rating for the Mackay pitch by the match referee. There’s generally been a desire among the referees to get brownie points from the media of the old powers, so it won’t be a surprise if there’s no adverse rating for the Mackay pitch just as we have seen for similar two-day finishes in recent years." "But lo and behold, if a game finishes in three days in India, there will be all kinds of derogatory reports and insinuations made about the pitches, BCCI and Indian cricket. The hypocrisy is so brazen that it is simply mind-boggling," said Gavaskar.
Gavaskar set out these comments in his Sportstar column, and the Mackay pitch is reportedly set to be rated as very good by the ICC.