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Matthew Page, the head curator at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), expressed that he was in a “state of shock” following England’s rapid victory over Australia in the Boxing Day Test match. The match concluded in just two days, during which 36 wickets fell within six sessions. Page and his team had prepared the pitch with 10mm of grass ahead of the fourth Ashes Test, but the surface unexpectedly led to a swift finish. England secured a four-wicket win in the evening session of the second day, marking their first Test victory on Australian soil since 2011 and the second time a match in the series ended within two days, the first being the opener in Perth.
Despite the success for England, their captain, Ben Stokes, remarked that there would have been significant criticism if the pitch had been used outside of Australia. It is unusual for pitch curators to address the media after a Test in Australia, but Page chose to speak publicly after the match. He admitted, “I’ve never been involved in a Test match like it and hopefully I’m not involved in a Test match like it again.” Page acknowledged that the outcome did not meet expectations, stating, “We know this hasn’t gone as we planned. We will look at what we need to do to improve.” Prior to the Test, Australia’s stand-in captain, Steve Smith, described the pitch as “furry and green,” warning that batters would need to be highly alert. With 20 wickets falling on the first day alone, the most for an Ashes Test opener since 1909, Page said, “I was in a state of shock after the first day,” and admitted the team was disappointed that the Test ended so quickly, saying they would learn from the experience to better prepare future pitches.
The MCG pitch has faced criticism before. During the 2017 Ashes Test at the venue, the surface was deemed too benign for bowlers, resulting in a dull draw with just 24 wickets falling throughout the match. England’s Alastair Cook scored an unbeaten 244 in that game. Stuart Fox, Chief Executive of Melbourne Cricket Club, noted that there had been a review of the pitches since that match. He also provided insights into various surfaces used in recent Tests at the MCG, mentioning that some pitches had longer grass than the 10mm applied this time. For instance, the previous year’s Test between Australia and India featured a pitch with only 7mm of grass and lasted the full five days. The decision for the 10mm grass this year was influenced by hot weather predictions, with temperatures expected to reach 32°C on the fourth day.
Despite nearly 190,000 spectators attending the first two days and a sell-out crowd for day three, which had the potential to break the Ashes attendance record, Cricket Australia (CA) anticipates a loss of about 10 million Australian dollars (£4.97m) due to the early conclusion of the match. CA is not insured for this kind of financial loss, but the amount is considered manageable within a projected annual revenue of A$600m. Fox revealed that there were informal discussions about organizing an exhibition involving players on the third day to appease ticket holders and broadcasters, but these talks did not advance enough to involve the England team. He expressed confidence in Page’s abilities, labeling him as Australia’s best groundsman, and said, “We didn’t plan for this and we didn’t want this to happen. It’s challenging times for us.” Fox also acknowledged the pitch heavily favored bowlers and did not give batsmen a fair chance to settle in. To address associated concerns, he confirmed that perishable food intended for the Boxing Day Test would be donated to a local charity
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