The Ashes 2025: Will the rest of Australia and England’s matches be played quickly after the two-day Perth Test?

There was a time in the middle of the last decade when Australian grounds offered no encouragement to bowlers.

In England’s 2017-18 Ashes tour, the fourth Test in Melbourne scored over 1,000 runs for just 24 wickets. The Melbourne Cricket Ground was given a warning by the International Cricket Council over what the governing body considered a “poor” surface.

Since England last visited Australia in 2021-22, the grounds have offered a lot for their bowlers.

Over the past four years, pitches in this country have been rated as faster, bouncier and more inconsistent than anywhere else in the world. Speed, bounce and inconsistency are the perfect recipe for powerful shots.

At this point, it’s worth noting that there is subjectivity to what constitutes a “good” presentation.

Often, a pitch can be described as “good” when it is suitable for hitting, but this does not always produce the most exciting spectacle.

A “good” shot is perhaps best described as one that produces equal competition between bat and ball.

The pitches also change over the course of the Test, providing different challenges for the batsmen and bowlers as the match progresses.

Take the first ash test as an example. In the first three innings, the highest total was 172 and batting looked very difficult.

In the final innings, chasing Australia, Travis Head made a target of 205 look slim. The run chase would have been more difficult on the fifth day of the Test, when the pitch is at its oldest and most worn.

Given the fast-paced nature of the first Test, Head was batting on the second night, when the pitch was at its best for scoring runs.

“The stadium was amazing,” former Australia international Simon Katich said on BBC Radio 5 Live.

“For Australia to chase 200 for the loss of 2 wickets, sums it up. In Australia, if you can bowl the new ball you will quickly score 40-50 overs. England were not able to do that and paid the price.”