SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 28: Nic Maddinson of the Renegades bats during the Men's Big Bash League match between the Sydney Sixers and the Melbourne Renegades at Sydney Cricket Ground, on December 28, 2022, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brett Hemmings/Getty Images)
Melbourne Renegades batsman Nic Maddison was fuming following his side's BBL loss to the Sydney Sixers on Wednesday night, labelling the SCG pitch as "one of the worst T20 wickets" he had seen.
Maddinson, 31, was dismissed for just one off the bowling of Jackson Bird as the Renegades fell well short of Sydney's 149-run marker, dismissed for a disappointing score of 119.
The latest loss saw the star-studded franchise's second in succession, further curtailing the form that saw them begin BBL|12 with a three-game winning streak.
Speaking in the wake of the defeat in which Melbourne's top-six of Martin Guptill, Aaron Finch, Shaun Marsh, Jonathan Wells, Peter Handscomb and himself combined for 105 runs, Maddinson was unable to hide his disappointment with the surface.
“It was pretty shit, to be honest,” the opener stated bluntly.
“I thought it was one of the worst T20 wickets I've seen for a while, and it's been a little bit like that all competition where we've had some pretty tricky wickets.
“I don't think the wickets have been fantastic across the competition, and it seems to be a common theme among most teams where the pitches probably aren't as fast or consistent as what they'd probably like.”
Maddinson's criticism comes just days out from the New Year's Test in Sydney, with the SCG's curator, Adam Lewis, already under pressure to provide a contest between a new-look Australian bowling attack and South Africa's struggling batting card.
With Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green already ruled out of the final Test due to respective finger injuries, head coach Andrew McDonald has be forced to run a rule over their replacements.
Given Josh Hazlewood was on the precipice of earning re-selection for Boxing Day after battling a side strain, the New South Welshman appears a likely starter in Sydney next week.
Hazlewood took an opportunity before play on Day Four in Melbourne to claim that he was fit, firing and champing at the bit to turn out before his home crowd in the Harbour City.
“I think I'll be right, yeah,” Hazlewood told SEN on Thursday.
“I haven't had a chat to them (the selectors), but before this game, I had a good chat with them over a few days and it ended up being my call for the game, so I feel in a good position.”
Threatening Western Australian quick Lance 'Wild Thing' Morris has also had his name raised, with McDonald stressing there was "clearly a role" for the 24-year-old in Starc's absence.
Having scored 51* with the bat after collecting his first Test five-for earlier in the Test, multi-million-dollar man Green further pressed his credentials as an all-rounder.
Yet, with the 23-year-old already ruled out of action for Sydney, McDonald's task of finding a like-for-like replacement for the middle-order seamer looms as an impossibility.
Still, with a four-Test series in India looming, opting to blood, or sculpt, spinning talent may prove too hard to refuse.
Once seen as a venue where playing two spinners was a must, an array of options have been raised to partner Nathan Lyon for the series finale, with leggie Mitchell Swepson, short-form specialist Ashton Agar and bespectacled Victorian Todd Murphy all in the mix.
As Murphy is currently plying his trade with the Sixers at BBL level, a new-found knowledge of the SCG's surroundings may see him team up with Lyon, should the conditions suit.
The SCG Test will begin on January 4, providing Lewis and McDonald with a short turnaround to amend any issues or fill any voids.