The Melbourne Cricket Ground pitch, where England secured a four-wicket victory over Australia in a dramatic two-day Ashes Test, has been officially deemed ‘unsatisfactory’ by the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The unusual conditions led to a swift conclusion and are now set to cost Cricket Australia an estimated £5 million.
Head curator Matthew Page expressed his “state of shock” at the rapid collapse of the match, which saw 10mm of grass on the surface, providing lavish movement for seam bowlers.
Even England captain Ben Stokes, despite his team’s win, remarked there would be “hell on” if such a pitch were to be produced elsewhere in the world, while ex-England skipper Michael Vaughan branded the pitch a “joke”.
Match referee Jeff Crowe confirmed the ICC’s second-lowest rating, stating: “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.”
Pitches are categorised as ‘very good’, ‘satisfactory’, ‘unsatisfactory’, or ‘unfit’, with six demerit points over five years leading to a 12-month ban from international matches.
This ruling contrasts with the first Test in Perth last month, which also concluded in two days as Australia took an early lead in the five-match series, yet its pitch received the ICC’s highest ‘very good’ rating.
England’s consolation win, which leaves them trailing 3-1 ahead of the final Test in Sydney, carries significant financial repercussions.
A sell-out crowd of over 90,000 was anticipated for day three, meaning the premature end will trigger an avalanche of refunds and substantial losses from merchandise, food, and drink sales.
England will now head to Sydney for the final Test, which begins on January 4, aiming to finish the series on a high.
