Thirty wickets. Just 125 overs. A wicket every 25 balls. And a Test match over before the end of the second day. Yet the Mackay pitch is reportedly set to receive the highest possible rating.
Match referee Sir Richie Richardson is expected to rate the Great Barrier Reef Arena surface as “very good”, according to reports from Fox Cricket and 7Cricket. The assessment still requires ICC approval before it becomes official.
“Very good” is the highest of the ICC’s four pitch ratings and is reserved for surfaces offering good carry, limited seam movement and consistent bounce while providing a balanced contest between bat and ball.
“Very good” is the highest of the ICC’s four pitch ratings and is reserved for surfaces offering good carry, limited seam movement and consistent bounce while providing a balanced contest between bat and ball.
The Mackay Test pitch for Australia's two-day win over Bangladesh is set to be rated 'very good', via @tommorris32.
— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) August 24, 2026
'Very good' is the highest possible grading out of four, defined as 'good carry, limited seam movement, and consistent bounce early in the match, allowing for a… pic.twitter.com/w04EJXjtKT
For Bangladesh, however, the rating raises a familiar question: would the same surface receive similar treatment if it had been prepared in the subcontinent?
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto raised precisely that issue after his side were dismissed for 64 and 95 in an innings-and-51-run defeat that lasted only two days.
“Normally when we play in the subcontinent and 18-19 wickets fall in a day, there is a lot of talk, everyone speaks up. Eighteen wickets fell on Day 1 here too. People need to understand that,” Shanto said.
“The pitch was challenging, and that’s why 18 wickets fell. When we play in the subcontinent, let’s make sure we don’t forget these things.”
The pitch was challenging, and that’s why 18 wickets fell. When we play in the subcontinent, let’s make sure we don’t forget these things
Najmul Hossain Shanto
The Mackay surface certainly offered plenty for fast bowlers. Eighteen wickets fell on the opening day, before Australia completed their victory with 12 more on Sunday.
Mitchell Starc was the chief beneficiary, taking 6-12 in Bangladesh's first innings and 4-39 in the second for a remarkable 10-wicket match haul. Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon also claimed three wickets apiece in Bangladesh's second innings.
Bangladesh's batting, however, must also shoulder much of the blame. They were bowled out for under 100 in both innings for the first time in their Test history, while Australia were dismissed for 210.
Australia quick Josh Hazlewood, who took one wicket in the match, offered a very different assessment of the surface.
“Yeah, the wicket was pretty good. I don’t necessarily think it should have been a two-day game,” Hazlewood told Fox Cricket.
“There was a little bit of seam movement day one, which you expect in most Test matches, but once the shine went off the ball it didn’t go a great deal.”
Mackay is not the first Australian venue to produce a two-day Test before receiving the top rating.
For Bangladesh, however, the rating raises a familiar question: would the same surface receive similar treatment if it had been prepared in the subcontinent?
Last year’s opening Ashes Test at Perth also finished inside two days, with 32 wickets falling, including 19 on the opening day. The Perth Stadium pitch was subsequently rated “very good”.
That decision drew praise from Cricket Australia, which said the rating supported its view that the surface had provided a fair balance between bat and ball.
Now Mackay appears set to receive the same verdict.
