Australia vs South Africa: ICC ruling on the Gabba pitch

The match, which saw 34 wickets fall and was over in less than two days, was given a "below average" rating by Richardson. 

"Overall, the Gabba pitch for this Test match was too much in favour of the bowlers. There was extra bounce and occasional excessive seam movement," he said. 

"The odd delivery also kept low on the second day, making it difficult for batters to build partnerships.

"I found the pitch to be "below average" as per the ICC guidelines since it was not an even contest between bat and ball," he added.

Dean Elgar, the South African captain, had poked the bear when suggesting that the pitch was unsafe for the players. 

"I did ask the umpires when KG [Rabada] got [Travis] Head out down leg, I said 'how long does it go on for until it potentially is unsafe?'," Elgar said. 

"And then [Anrich] Nortje was bowling those short ones flying over our heads. I know the game is dead and buried; it was never to try and change or put a halt to the game. 

"That's where the umpire's discretion comes into play, not us as players. I am not going to say it was safe or unsafe.

"There were only a handful of runs left so I thought maybe they thought I was just trying to take the mickey. But it's not a bad reference point going forward to get a reply." 

However, his counterpart Pat Cummins disagreed and said he would bowl on a green top rather than a flat deck. 

"No way, it was fine. Sideways movement, there was a bit of up and down bounce, but it was okay. No balls were jumping off a length or anything like that.

"It was certainly tricky. Two days isn't ideal. I don't mind if the groundsman occasionally err on the greener side. 

"I've played a lot of Tests where they've erred on the flatter side. Think it was the same for both teams." 

However, even taking these opinions into account – and the apparent biases from the Proteas and Aussie captains – the Test match ended in two days, solely because it wasn't an even contest. 

It is telling that Australia lost four wickets in a run chase below 50 with over three days to spare – there was just so much assistance for the bowlers. 

And no, no one is asking for pitches to be made more batter friendly because that, too, can hurt the game and ensure it isn't an equal contest. 

But the solution is to find a balance and not make a pitch that is overly favourable to either batters or bowlers – but rather one that can offer up a little something to both. 

That is the best way to ensure. Test cricket remains enjoyable for fans – both old and new.