The Boxing Day pitch at Melbourne Cricket Ground for the Ashes Test between Australia and England has been rated as “unsatisfactory” by the ICC. This is because the Test match ended in just two days.
The ICC match referee for the game, Geff Crowe, has rated this as unsatisfactory. Along with this, the MCG will also get one demerit point.
ICC’s four-tier pitch-rating system says that an unsatisfactory pitch “does not allow an even contest between bat and ball… by favouring the bowlers too much, with too many wicket-taking opportunities for either seam or spin.” For the past three Boxing Day Tests, MCG received the highest rating, “very good.”
Here is what Crowe said about the pitch.
“The MCG pitch was too much in favour of the bowlers. With 20 wickets falling on the first day, 16 on the second day and no batter even reaching a half-century, the pitch was ‘unsatisfactory’ as per the guidelines and the venue gets one demerit point.”
It was the second two-day Test in the ongoing Ashes series between these two teams. It was the first match of the series in Perth. That pitch was rated “very good,” and Australia won that game.
James Allsopp, the Chief of Cricket of Cricket Australia (CA), was also disappointed by the result. Here is what he said.
“We were disappointed for the fans holding tickets for days three and four, and also the millions of fans excited to watch the action in Australia and around the world, that the pitch did not provide the MCG’s customary balance between bat and ball.”
“We appreciate the outstanding work the MCC staff have done over recent years producing excellent Test match pitches. We’re confident they will deliver first-rate surfaces for next year’s Boxing Day Test against New Zealand and the hugely anticipated 150th Anniversary Test against England in March 2027.”
After the game concluded, MCG curator Matt Page said that he was in a state of shock.
This two-day Test is expected to cost CA up to AUD10 million in addition to a significant loss from the first Test. This is the first time in 129 years that two Test matches of a series ended within two days.