Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden criticise the Gabba pitch after Australia win the 1st test

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Australia won the first test against South Africa in Brisbane within the first two days, which happened for the first time in Australia after 91 years.

The visitors struggled in both innings, and got dismissed for a paltry 99 in their second inning. Australia won the match by 6 wickets as a total of 34 wickets fell in just five sessions.

After this, the Brisbane pitch has come under scrutiny. A five-day spectacle ending in two days has got the pundits thinking and they could only blame the pitch for the match ending so prematurely.

Both teams struggled to bat in the first two days, which raised questions about the quality of the 22 yards. And former Australian players Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden are not any exceptions.

Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting, who led the Aussies to two World Cup glories, asserted that he has never seen a track like the Gabba top.

Speaking with 7 Sport, Ponting said, "I haven't seen one as green. Matthew Hayden played here more than me, and he hasn't seen one as green. And Justin Langer said he hasn't seen one as green."

"There wasn't a lot of moisture was there? There was a little bit of moisture on the surface on day one, probably what you would expect from the Gabba. But what we have seen is excessive seam movement," he added.

Ponting further commented that the pitch may get a poor rating from ICC, before revealing some of the players told him that the pitch was the toughest one they had ever played in their career.

"I actually think it will get a poor rating. To have 22 wickets fall in the first four sessions of a Test match says to me these are very, very good bowling teams, no doubt about that, but I don't think that the batting teams are that bad," Ponting said.

Former Australia batter Matthew Hayden also concurs with his former colleague. He was stunned by the excessive movement in the pitch and says he has never seen a greener pitch than the Gabba one.

"It was such an unusual place to come and play, basically it is not really a home game for Australia either. They have to come here and get used to the conditions, both with bat and ball in hand.

"But in my opinion, it started too green. And that's just from someone that has seen this from a very young age, there is no need to make it so full of grass, such heavy grass content. Because it seamed too much," Hayden concluded.