MCG pitch under the cosh as 20-wicket day invites criticism, saying ‘That pitch has too much life for Test cricket.’
Stuart Broad and Glenn McGrath among former players to criticise MCG surface.
Following a 20-wicket Boxing Day thriller in which both Australia and England were knocked out cheaply, a spicy, green-tinged MCG ground came under intense examination.
Prior to the fourth Ashes Test, MCG curator Matt Page expressed his desire to reproduce the surface he had created for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy match previous year, which Australia won in the fifth-day final session. However, after the ball dominated the bat in front of an unprecedented crowd, it appears exceedingly unlikely that this Test will continue into a fourth day, let alone a fifth.
Fast bowlers on both sides found significant seam movement throughout the day, and Page left 10 mm of grass on the surface—3 mm more than he had the previous year. Australia’s choice to play an all-seam assault was a reflection of the circumstances, and both captains desired to bowl first at the toss in unusually cool weather. England has not selected a front-line spinner in every series.
Ex-players from both teams, with Stuart Broad and Glenn McGrath leading the charge, attributed the 20 wickets that dropped on the first day on the surface rather than the attacking strategy or technical flaws of both sets of batsmen.
“The pitch is doing too much, if I’m brutally honest. Test match bowlers don’t need this amount of movement to look threatening,” Broad said, commentating on SEN Radio. “Great Test matches pitches, generally, they bounce, but they don’t jag all over the place.”
Glenn McGrath told the BBC: “This pitch has got far too much grass on it… That pitch has got too much life in it for Test cricket… The Australians bowled well [but] it’s hard to apply yourself on a pitch that’s doing plenty because if you’re looking to defend, one’s got your name on it. You’ve got to find that balance between somehow keeping balls out while still looking to score.”
After the batter-friendly surface received harsh criticism during the 2017–18 Ashes Test, which saw 24 wickets fall over five days, MCG grounds have been much more sporting in subsequent years. The balance had gone too far in the opposite direction, according to Alastair Cook, who scored 244 not out in that game.
“The bowlers didn’t have to work hard for their wickets,” Cook said. “It was an unfair contest. I don’t know how you hit it [the ball]. If this flattens out tomorrow then fine, it’s an even contest over three or four days. But I don’t think this is particularly even.”