'Unacceptable and absolutely ridiculous': Pollard slams Barbados pitch

Given that 300 is considered just a par score nowadays, scores of 123, 187 and 152 is not what you expect in a series between two top teams. Same was the case in the three-match ODI series between West Indies and Australia. The losing skipper, Kieron Pollard was critical about the pitches used in the ODI series and termed them 'absolutely ridiculous' after a loss in the series decider.

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Only once in the series, a score of 200+ was achieved when Australia posted 252 in the first match before bowling out West Indies for 123. Pollard's criticism is somewhat justified as the pitch was occasionally two paced and shot through at times. Also, it was dry and offered more than enough turn, leaving batsmen dumbfound.

"Coming here to Barbados, I think both teams struggled on the pitch and I think that's unacceptable for international cricket," he said at the presentation. "We're not going to make excuses. We accept that we batted badly but I don't think the scores that we have gotten in this three-match series, for two top international teams, I think that's very embarrassing for us as a people. Coming from St Lucia to this, I think it's absolutely ridiculous."

Meanwhile, Ashton Agar, who was adjudged Man of the Match for his 2 for 31 said even though the conditions were favourable for spin bowling, the bowlers still needed to bowl right lengths to get the results in their favour.

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"It's pretty favorable conditions for a spinner," Agar said. "You just had to get your length right. As long as you were hitting the stumps for the right-hander and pitching the ball to a left-hander, where it's spinning in and hitting the stumps to bring all modes of dismissal into play, that's all you can do and you let the pitch go to work.

"Really difficult conditions, really interesting style of cricket that was played. You don't get many pitches like that and I hope we end up seeing a lot more like that in the future."

Australia now heads to Bangladesh to play a five-match T20I series while West Indies brace themselves for a stern Pakistan challenge.