Melbourne Cricket Ground pitch curator Matthew Page said he was in a “state of shock” after the Boxing Day Ashes Test at the venue ended in just two days and vowed to “get it right next year”.
On a 10mm grass surface, neither England nor Australia crossed 200 in the match, taking 36 wickets in 142 overs, with the highest individual score for either team coming from home opening batsman Travis Head’s 46 in his team’s second innings.
The early end is expected to cost Cricket Australia around £5 million, with the organization’s CEO Todd Greenberg saying the short Test was “bad for business” after a 20-wicket opening day.
“Obviously it’s really disappointing that it’s less than two days away. I was in a state of shock after the first day,” Page told reporters on Sunday.
“Given everything that happened and the 20 wickets I went through in one day, I have never been in a Test match like this before and I hope I never play a Test match like this again.
“It’s been a roller coaster two days watching everything unfold. Much of the noise is obviously outside.
“I personally don’t read newspapers or watch the news, but I know this didn’t go as we planned.”
“The test was appealing, but it didn’t last long.”
Page was hired in the aftermath of a bore draw in the 2017/18 Ashes Test at the MCG, when England opener Sir Alastair Cook made 244 not out after batting for more than 10 hours on a lifeless ground.
This year’s MCG deck has certainly been made for thrilling viewing, but it has also been criticized by England captain Ben Stokes and Australia’s Steve Smith, as well as Cook and other former players.
Page added: “Our problems here with the pitch deteriorating and becoming very flat are well documented and we are acutely aware of that.
“We’ve created a compelling test, but it hasn’t been around long enough yet, so we take responsibility for that. We’ll learn from it, we’ll grow from it, and we’ll make sure we get it right next year.”
Harry Brook’s first innings 41 became England’s highest individual score in an astonishing Boxing Day Test
The International Cricket Council is yet to release a pitch report, but it rated the Optus Stadium track as “very good” after two further days of the series opener in Perth last month.
England won by four wickets in Melbourne to cut their deficit in the series to 3-1 ahead of the final Test in Sydney from Sunday 4 January.
“It’s bad for business, it’s a travesty” – What are people saying about the manic match at the MCG?
Cricket Australia CEO Mr Greenberg told SEN Radio ahead of the second day:
“Historically, we have taken a hands-off approach to all of our wicket preparation… but when you see the impact on the sport, especially commercially, it’s hard not to get more involved.”
Travis Head’s second innings 46 was the highest score of the MCG Test.
There was no spin bowling to be seen in the match, and Nasser Hussain of Sky Sports said, “I don’t think the great Shane Warne would have thought that was acceptable either, and I think it’s unacceptable that there was no spin at all and there was so much movement on the surface.”
“It was a farce at times. It can be thrilling, but there are traditionalists who like the ebb and flow and slow build-up. This wasn’t slow, it was fast forward. Through T10, T20 and The Hundred, we’ve had plenty of that.”
Hussain’s fellow Sky Sports pundit Michael Atherton said of the ground: “It wasn’t dangerous and it was fair for both sides in the sense that the situation didn’t change. It was a shootout on a difficult pitch. But in terms of spectacle it wasn’t satisfying.”
“You come to see different skills and watch the game develop over a period of time. Sometimes you run into extreme situations, but we’ve had two (two-day tests) in this series now and I don’t think we want to see that too often.”
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
England captain Ben Stokes reflected on the ‘tricky’ pitch at the MCG after his team’s two-day win
Stokes added: “To be brutally honest, that’s not what you want for a Boxing Day Test match. You don’t want it to be over in two days.”
Stokes went on to say: “If it had been anywhere else in the world, there would have been hell,” but when asked by reporters if he was referring to Asian pitches with incredible spinning power, he added: “Those are your words, not mine.”
Australian captain Smith said: “I think we had too many pitches. When you look at 30-odd wickets over two days, it’s probably too many. We could probably lower the grass from 10mm to 8mm.”
“It would have been nice if it had been a little longer and entertained the fans more, but that wasn’t the case.”
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Steve Smith reflects on Australia’s loss to England in Melbourne
Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC) chief executive Stuart Fox backed Mr Page, saying: “I brought Matt on eight years ago because he’s considered one of the best in the country, if not the best in the country. I still believe that, and I always will.
“Our responsibility is to provide a balanced delivery of bat and ball, and we weren’t able to do that. I think this shows the fine margins and difficulties that (Paige) faces every week, so I’m here to support him.”
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Sky Sports’ Nasser Hussain and Michael Atherton look back at how England avoided a potential Ashes whitewash after ending 18 Tests in Australia and a 15-year winless streak
Ashes Series in Australia 2025-26
Australia leads with 3 wins and 1 loss in 5 consecutive games
