Australia may have sealed a 3-0 clean sweep in the Test tour of the West Indies, but their head coach, Andrew McDonald isn’t too pleased with how things panned out in the final Pink ball Test.
While the pink-ball format is designed to make Test cricket more exciting, McDonald strongly believes that using the Dukes ball simply on tricky surfaces of the Caribbean wasn't fair play for the batters.
Follow The Sporting News India on WhatsApp
His comments now raise serious questions about the future of pink-ball Tests with Dukes in the longer format.
Why is Andrew McDonald unhappy with Dukes ball used in Pink-ball Test?
In the final Test at Sabina Park, Australia bowled West Indies out for just 27 runs, sparking heavy discussion on the pitch, ball and match conditions.
McDonald said that judging the quality of batting in such a scenario is unfair. He believes that the surfaces used in the three-match series didn’t allow proper assessment of either side’s batting skills.
“It’s really difficult to make accurate judgments on both batting units based upon the surfaces that we played on,” McDonald told SEN Radio.
“And you take that into the third Test, which is a pink-ball Dukes on that surface, that game just moved way too fast and at times, it didn’t even look like cricket."
According to McDonald, the game moved so quickly and unnaturally under lights that it barely resembled normal Test cricket. He noted that some deliveries were almost unplayable, especially those bowled by Mitchell Starc, with the pink Dukes ball behaving unpredictably.
MORE: England's Bazball Test defeats at home under McCullum
"That cricket was borderline impossible to play at certain stages. Some of those deliveries from Mitchell Starc, the way that ball behaved under lights. So it’s a bigger question for what the pink Dukes looks like for Test match cricket, really,” he added.
What is next for Australian cricket team?
Though Australia completed a 3-0 series win, McDonald is unsatisfied with how the tour panned out. He felt the series did not provide the answers they hoped for before the home Ashes series against England later this year.
The top order remains unsettled, and the coach admits that performances on this tour haven’t helped lock down combinations, particularly at the top.
MORE: Who should bat in Australia's top three for Ashes 2025? Ricky Ponting answers
Australia now faces a packed calendar in the lead-up to the Ashes, and McDonald is hopeful that the upcoming series will offer more suitable conditions to help finalize the best playing XI.
The Ashes 2025/26 Schedule
The 2025/26 Ashes Test series is a part of the World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle. Here is the full schedule for the five-match series:
| Fixture | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| AUS vs ENG 1st Test | Nov 21-25 | Perth Stadium |
| AUS vs ENG 2nd Test (D/N) | Dec 4-8 | The Gabba, Brisbane |
| AUS vs ENG 3rd Test | Dec 17-21 | Adelaide Oval |
| AUS vs ENG 4th Test | Dec 26-30 | Melbourne Cricket Ground |
| AUS vs ENG 5th Test | Jan 4-8 | Sydney Cricket Ground |